THSOX^O 


BX  9211  .P49102  C65  1875 

Commemorative  services  on 
the  semi-centennial 


y 


COM  M  I:  MOK  ATWf  ISETOES 


F,  \\  •»-.-i<r- 


SEil-CENTEllAL  ANNIVERSARY 


OF    I'ASTURATE    OK 


REV.  JOHN   CHAMBERS,   D.  D., 


Oz'er   One   Congregation, 


NINTH  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  FIRST  INDEPENDENT  CHURCH, 
CHAMBERS  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


May  gth  to,  14th,  18 J^. 


PHILADEI^PHTA  : 
INQUIRKR  JiOOK.  AND  JOl)  TRINTIXG  OFFICE,  334  CHESTNUT  STREET. 

18T5. 


PREFATORY    NOTE, 


//  zcas  deemed  advisable  that  the  proeeedhigs  attendant 
iipon  the  Fiftieth  Amiiversary  of  the  Pastorate  of  the 
Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.,  over  one  eongi'egation 
should  be  preserved  in  a  pei'inanent  forin.  Accord- 
ingly, the  Session  of  the  Chnrch  resolved  to  prepare  this 
volume,  which  they  noiv  present  to  the  members  of  the 
Church  and  Congregation,  and  to  the  friends  of  our 
beloved  Pastor,  as  a  keepsake,  which  shall  ever  bring  to 
mind  the  precious  memories  wJiich  ivere  recalled  by  the 
services  of  the  Jubilee  Week. 

FRANCIS   NEWLAND, 
ROBT.  H.  HINCKLEY,  Jr., 

Committee  of  Session, 
rhihidclphia,  May,  iSjS- 


«f,*.V'^'^'^AAA«  . 


(( 


SABBATH-UAY,  MAY  9,  1875, 

lO   1-2  o'clock,  A.   M. 


Long  before  the  hour  set  for  commencing-  the  ser- 
vices a  large  crowd  gathered  at  the  Church-door, 
and  it  became  apparent  that  the  building  would  be 
filled  to  its  utmost  capacity.  In  anticipation  of  this, 
the  Trustees  had  reserved  the  seats  for  pew-holders 
until  ten  o'clock,  after  which  time  the  entire  house 
filled  up  with  remarkable  rapidity.  Seats  were  placed 
in  all  the  aisles,  and  the  people  occupied  the  space 
to  the  very  doors  of  the  edifice.  Before  the  exercises 
commenced,  Lodge  51,  A.  Y,  ^L,  accompanied  by  the 
officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  who  desired  to  honor 
their  Senior  Grand  Chaplain  and  fellow-member,  came 
into  the  Church,  about  one  hundred  in  number,  and 
occupied  seats  provided  for  them  in  the  middle  aisle. 

Precisely  at  the  hour  appointed  the  choir,  under  the 
direction    of    Prof.   William    G.    Fischer,   with    orjjan 


6  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

accompaniment  by  Prof.  Hugh  A.  Clark,  rendered, 
in  a  perfect  manner,  Jackson's  "  Te  Dcwn  Laitdanius!' 

The  Pastor  occupied  the  pulpit,  accompanied  by 
Rev.  Edgar  M.  Levy,  D.  D.,  of  the  Berean  Baptist 
Church,  and  by  Rev.  John  C.  Bliss,  of  Plainfield,  N.  J., 
both  of  whom  were  formerly  members  of  the  Church. 

The  platform  immediately  in  front  of  the  pulpit  had 
been  reserved  for  the  Ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and  it 
was  fully  occupied  by  them,  prominent  among  whom 
were  Rev.  Dr.  Musgrave,  Rev.  Matthew  Grier,  and 
Rev.  I.  N.  Torrence. 

Over  the  desk  a  beautiful  arch  of  evergreens  was 
sprung,  surmounted  by  a  crown  of  lilies.  The  columns 
of  the  pulpit  were  entwined  with  green,  the  whole 
presenting  a  pleasing  and  appropriate  aspect. 

The  regular  services  of  the  day  were  commenced 
with  singing  by  the  congregation.  After  which  the 
Pastor,  Rev.  John  Chambers,  offered  prayer  as  follows: 

THE   PRAYER. 

Thou  infinite  Sovereign,  Lord  of  the  universe,  our 
Father  and  our  God!  Into  Thy  divine  presence  we 
come  on  this  hallowed  morning,  with  all  its  rich  glories, 
beauties  and  memories  rising  up  before  us.  We  would 
call  upon  our  souls  and  all  that  is  within  us  to  be  stirred 
up  to  bless  and  magnify  Thee  as  our  Father  in  Christ, 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yoJiii  Chanihcrs,  D.D.  7 

and  adore  Thee  for  the  wonderful  provision  which 
Thou  hast  made  for  a  lost  and  ruined  world  ;  to 
thank  Thee  that  we  live  upon  Thy  footstool  to-day; 
and  with  the  recollections  of  the  past  rising  before  us, 
and  calling  for  that  p;ratitude,  for  that  love,  for  that 
devotion  that  is  due  to  the  God  of  Mercy,  the  God 
of  Truth,  the  God  of  Grace. 

And  now  that  we  are  gathered  in  Thy  temple  this 
morning,  to  lift  our  voices  to  Thee  in  praise,  and 
in  thanksgiving,  and  in  supplication,  we  implore  Thee 
to  grant  us  Thy  Holy  Spirit,  that,  as  we  approach  into 
Thy  presence,  we  may  experience  the  blessedness  of 
the  man  whose  God  is  the  Lord,  We  render  thanks 
to  Thee  for  all  the  mercies  that  have  crowned  us  with 
loving  kindness  and  tender  compassion,  for  the  many 
years  that  we  have  lived  together.  We  thank  Thee 
lor  all  Thy  favors  bestowed  upon  us,  in  sickness  or  in 
health,  in  prosperity  or  in  adversity.  We  thank  Thee 
for  any  good  that  we  may  have  done  in  the  world; 
because  all  that  we  have  done  has  been  by  Thy  grace 
and  by  Thy  help.  And,  Almighty  God,  we  entreat 
Thee,  that  upon  each  individual  member  of  this  family 
of  the  Son  of  God,  elders  and  people,  teachers  and 
taught,  parents  and  children,  minister  and  congrega- 
tion, there  may  come  down  from  the  Throne  of  God, 
from  the  very  heart  of  our  Father,  a  blessing  this 
morninp-  that  maketh  rich  and  adds  no  sorrow.     We 


8  Scini'  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

thank  Thee  for  that  subUme  and  beautiful  system  of 
reHo-ion   revealed  unto  us  In  the  Bible ;  that  system 
that  makes  man  so  much  like  God,  when  he  is  under 
its  converting,  its  sanctifying-,  and  its  purifying  influ- 
ences.    We  adore  Thee,  because  it  comes  to  convert 
the   sword  into  the  ploughshare,  and  the  spear  into 
the  pruning-hook.     We  adore  Thee,  that  its  object  is 
to  reconcile   man   to  God,  to  reconcile  man  to  man  ; 
and   from   our  hearts  we  thank  Thee,  Thou  infinite 
Sovereign  of  men,  for  a  religion  so  pure,  so  simple, 
so  sublime,  so  distinctly  calculated  to  make  man  just 
what  God  would  have  him  be;  and  may  that  religion 
have  its  direct  influence  upon  our  minds  and  upon 
our  hearts;  and  may  this  congregation  of  our  fellow- 
beings,  and   our  fellow-citizens,  and  our  fellow-men, 
share  with  us  in  God's  richest,  and  purest,  and  divincst 
benediction.     May  the  hearts  of  all  in  this  house  be 
filled  with  peace.     May  our  bodies  be  the  temples  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.     May  Jesus  Christ  dwell  in  us  richly, 
by  faith,  that  the  lives  we  live  in  the  flesh  may  be  by 
faith  upon  the  Son  of  God.     Let  Thy  work,  Glorious 
Father,  be  revived  this  day — this  memorable  day — 
this  day,  when  we  look  back  over  fifty  years  of  Thy 
conducting  goodness,  through  which  we  start  anew, 
upon  the  light  of  this  beautiful  morning,  under  the 

o-uidance  and  influences  of  the   Holy  Ghost,  with  the 
fc> 

Spirit  of  the  Resu erection  and  the  Life,  to  bear  on- 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  fo/ui  C/iajubcrs,  D.D.  9 

ward  in  the  residue  of  life's  pilgrimage  allotted  to  us, 
the  power,  the  influence,  the  glory  of  God's  religion. 

We  adore  Thee  for  the  infinite  truths  presented  to 
us  throuehont  the  Bible,  We  thank  Thee  for  the 
messag-e  that  comes  so  free  and  full  from  the  heart  of 
that  noble  apostle  who  was  ready  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  them  that  were  at  Rome,  also;  rejoicing  in  the 
cross,  and  glorying  in  the  doctrines  of  salvation,  and 
preaching  those  doctrines  upon  that  seven-hilled  city, 
until  the  despot's  throne  trembled,  and  his  knees 
smote  together  under  the  majesty  of  truth. 

O,  Lord  God  !  we  pray  for  Thy  blessing  to  be  upon 
us  all,  and  we  implore  Thy  blessing  upon  the  many 
ministers  of  the  Church  of  God,  to-day ;  upon  every 
man  that  loves  the  atonement  and  that  hopes  alone 
for  salvation  by  that  atonement,  that  can  see,  con- 
secrated before  his  mind  and  heart,  a  living  temple, 
imbued  with  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God,  and  God, 
in  that  living  temple  cf  man,  as  the  Son  of  the 
Eternal,  the  Redeemer  of  the  lost.  Let  blessings 
come  down  upon  our  city,  upon  our  entire  ministry, 
upon  every  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  upon  all  teachers 
and  taught.  May  Heaven  shower  benedictions  until 
there  shall  not  be  room  to  contain  them  ;  and  roll  on 
the  majesty  and  power  of  truth,  until  some  beautiful 
morning,  the  whole  city  of  our  God  shall  be  gathered 
around  the  throne  of  Jehovah,  shouting  our  sweetest 


10  Sard- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

and  loudest  hallelujahs  as  we  lay  our  crowns  at  the 
feet  of  the  Prince  of  Glory. 

Let  blessings  be  upon  those  of  this  family  that  are 
detained  at  home  to-day.  We  thank  Thee  that  some 
of  the  most  venerable  and  aged  are  here  ;  and  we 
have  to  commend  to  Thee,  that  venerable  servant  of 
Thine,  who  longed  to  be  here,  but  is  detained  this 
morning.  Bless  that  dear  old  man ;  comfort  his 
heart.  Thou  hast  been  very  good  to  him  these 
ninety  years.  More  than  ninety  and  five  years  Thou 
hast  been  good  to  him.  Be  better  to  him  to-day 
than  his  fears,  and,  though  he  cannot  be  with  us,  be 
Thou  with  him  and  fill  him  with  Thy  blessings. 
Remember  all  those  that  are  detained  by  sickness; 
and  especially  would  we  entreat  Thee,  in  bel.alf  of 
those  two  young  men,  those  noble  soldiers  of  the 
cross,  that  by  illness  are  detained  from  us  this  morn- 
ing. God  bless  them  !  Mercifully  hear  the  prayer 
that  they  may  be  spared,  and  brought  back,  and  be 
more  noble  than  ever  in  Thy  service,  adding  to  the 
strength,  and  to  the  beauty,  and  to  the  influence  of 
our  beloved  band  of  young  men.  May  Heaven  spare 
them,  if  it  be  consistent  with  Thy  will. 

Extend  Thy  blessings  over  our  entire  country. 
Deliver  us  from  all  embarrassments  in  trade  and 
business.  Let  the  day  of  industry  return.  Restore 
unto  us  the  day  of   peace  and  quiet,  and  may   tur- 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJui  Chambers,  D.D.  11 

bulent  and  unoodly  men  be  made  ashamed  of  Uieir 
breaking-  in  upon  the  rules  and  the  organization  of 
society.  May  Heaven  bless  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  God  help  him  to  stand  by  the  Con- 
stitution and  the  laws  of  the  land,  like  one  that  would 
rather  be  hewn  down  than  yield  an  inch.  We  pray 
for  all  the  authorities  of  the  government.  We  pray 
Thee  for  all  the  Governors  of  all  the  States,  and  of  our 
own  beloved  State.  We  entreat  Thee,  most  holy 
and  good  God,  to  hasten  that  day  when  every  man  in 
official  life,  from  the  President  down  to  the  humblest, 
shall  be  a  true  man,  a  pure  man,  an  honest  man,  a 
God-fearing  man,  a  man  with  the  anchor  of  his  hope 
within  the  vail  where  Jesus  hath  entered  before  ;  and 
may  all  kind  of  wicked  habits,  all  wicked  pursuits,  be 
swept  away  before  the  majesty  of  truth.  Will  the  Lord 
God  hear  us  for  the  deliverance  of  our  country  from 
that  blighting  and  withering  and  destructive  power, 
intemperance;  that  all  these  haunts  of  vice,  and  these 
roads  to  poverty,  ruin  and  crime,  shall  be  all  swept 
away;  and,  instead  thereof,  be  beautiful  pathways 
leading  to  peaceful  and  happy  homes,  to  gladden 
wives,  to  make  angels  happy,  and  to  bring  men  back 
from  their  evil  and  ruin,  to  God. 

Our  Father,  let  Thy  Kingdom,  everywhere,  come 
from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun  ;  from  the  rivers 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth  ;  when  Jesus,  the  Prince  of 


12  Scnii- Centennial  Anniversary  of  i lie 

Love,  the  Prince  of  Peace,  the  Prince  of  Glory,  shall 
sway  his  beautiful,  his  peaceful,  his  loving  sceptre  ; 
and  the  whole  human  family,  casting  their  idols  to  the 
moles  and  to  the  bats,  shall  sit,  clothed  and  in  their 
right  minds,  at  the  feet  of  the  Son  of  God. 

Be  with  us  this  morninor.  Direct  us  in  the  duties 
before  us;  and,  Almighty  God,  grant  that  Thy  truth 
may  be  presented  in  its  simplicity,  and,  when  we 
come  to  give  to  this  congregation  the  brief  history  of 
our  past  life,  teach  us  to  give  Thee  all  the  glory  for 
the  blessino^s  with  which  Thou  hast  crowned  our  labors. 
Aid  us  in  all  that  we  do,  keep  us  in  great  unity  to  the 
end  of  life,  and  at  last,  may  this  entire  church  meet 
those  that  have  gone  before  us,  and,  as  we  come  out 
upon  the  battlements  of  glory  and  look  in  upon  God's 
dominions,  and  join  in  the  triumphant  song,  "  Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace,  and  good-will 
to  men,"  to  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
to  whom  alone  we  pray,  to  Thee,  eternal  Parent,  we 
will  give  the  honor,  the  praise,  and  the  glory  for  the 
pardon  of  our  sins,  for  the  hope  of  an  immortal  life 
with  Thee,  forever  and  ever.     Amen. 

After  prayer,  another  Hymn  was  sung. 

The  Rev.  John  Chamhers  then  arose,  and  with  the 
clear  ringing  voice,  for  which  he  has  always  been  dis- 
tinguished, announced  his  text,  as  follows  : 


F'a  St  ovale  of  Rev,  John  Chambers,  D.D.         13 

Ix  tlie  133d  Psalm,  we  have  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  exquisite  passages  in  the  Word  of  God  : 

''  Behold,  how  cood  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren 
to  dwell  togeiher  in  unity! 

"It  is  like  the  precious  OINIMENT  upon  the  head,  THAT 
RAN  DOWN  UPON  IHE  BEARD,  EVEN  AaRON's  BEARD  :  THAT  WENT 
DOWN    TO     THE    SKIRTS    OF    HIS    GARMENTS: 

"  As  THE  DEW  OK  HeRMON,  AND  AS  THE  DEW  THAT  DE- 
SCENDED UPON  THE  MOUNTAINS  OF  ZiON  :  FOR  THERE  THE  LORD 
COMMANDED    THE    BLESSING,    EVEN    LIFE    FOR    EVERMORE." 

This,  my  beloved,  is  a  solemn  day  for  you,  and  it 
is  a  solemn  day  for  me.  We  have  met  in  the  name 
of  our  Master  to  be  guided  and  directed,  I  trust,  in 
His  spirit,  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this  fiftieth 
anniversary  clay  since  you  and  I  started  in  life's 
pursuits  together  in  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Psalm  which  I  have  read  as  the  basis  of  our 
jubilee  rejoicing,  is  rich,  beautiful,  adapted,  closing 
with  everything  that  is  calculated  to  make  man  happy. 
God  never  meant  a  man  to  be  a  savacre — to  be  a  brute 
— to  be  a  wild,  raving  maniac.  He  made  him  for  the 
highest  and  the  grandest  purposes  imaginable.  He 
made  him,  that  he  might  sip  the  dew  from  every 
flower  on  earth,  and  drink  of  the  beautiful  streams  of 
life  with  a  loving  heart,  to  eat  the  products  of  the  soil, 
to  live  with  God  amid  all  the  beauties  and  the  glories 
ot  this  life ;  so  that  no  man  breathes  upon  God's  foot- 
stool with  so  much  freedom,  or  enjoys  God's  favor 


l4  Scmi-Centcnnial  Anniversary  of  the 

with  so  much  exquisite  enjoyment,  as  the  man  who 
Hves  and  walks  with  God.  There  is  not  a  star  that 
twinkles,  there  is  not  a  rivulet  that  flows,  there  is  not 
a  mountain  that  rises,  or  a  valley  that  spreads  out  in 
its  rich  and  luxuriant  beauty,  that  does  not  belong  to 
him  as  the  fruit  of  his  living  and  walking  with  God. 
That  which  was  made  for  one  man,  was  made  for  all. 
God  did  not  provide  for  a  few,  but  for  the  whole  ; 
and  we  then,  as  God's  people,  in  connection  with  this 
church,  are  called  upon  to  review  the  past;  and 
such  a  review  must  either  be  joyous  or  painful  to 
us  as  we  have  lived  during  these  fifty  years.  There 
is  much — very  much  in  the  chequered  path  of  life, 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  that  is  blissful — that  is 
very  blissful — for  God  made  us,  my  beloved  hearers, 
to  be  happy.  He  designed  that  we  should  be  happy, 
and  that  we  should  walk  with  Him  ;  and  there  is  cer- 
tainly no  real  enjoyment,  nor  pleasure,  nor  comfort, 
only  that  which  flows  from  God  to  us,  and  out  from 
our  regenerated  hearts  back  to  God,  as  the  Author 
and  Finisher  of  our  salvation. 

We  are  presented,  in  this  beautiful  Psalm,  with 
some  of  those  exquisite  facts  that  spread  themselves 
throughout  the  whole  pages  of  God's  revelation, 
showing  what  is  really  the  purpose  of  God  ;  that  it  is 
the  religion  of  the  Bible  that  makes  man  intellectually, 
morally,  physically  and-spiritiially  ha])p)',  and  it  is  this 


J\rs/ora/c  of  Rev.  yohn  Chambers,  D.D.  15 

religion  alone :  it  is  not  a  religion  of  a  clime,  nor  a 
nation,  nor  a  party,  but  of  the  universal  family  of  man  ; 
it  is  this  religion  alone,  that  brings  to  man  real  peace, 
real  joy,  that  environs  him  with  those  influences  that 
are  calculated  to  STuard  him  amid  all  the  changes  of 
life.  1  he  statement  is :  '*  Behold  !  "  says  this  inspired 
v^^riter  of  God's  book,  "  Behold  !  "  Behold  what  ? — 
How  grand  that  sun  is  ?  how  splendid  that  sweeping 
comet  is  ?  how  marvelous  that  transcendentally 
towering  mountain  ?  how  broad  the  sea  and  deep  its 
bottom  ?  Not  at  all !  Does  he  say,  behold  how  good 
it  is  to  go  out  as  warriors,  and  wade  through  blood 
and  carnatre,  and  come  back  for  the  ^arlands  of  men 
to  crown  them  for  their  supposed  victories  ?  No ! 
Does  he  say,  behold  how  pleasant  it  is  for  men  to  live 
in  envy  and  wrath,  to  be  filled  with  evil  thinkings  and 
evil  surmisings  ?  By  no  means.  The  statement  of 
the  Psalmist  is,  "  Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant 
it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity  !  "  In  one, 
one  brotherhood,  one  hope,  one  anticipated  glory 
beyond  the  home  where  we  now  dwell,  when  we  shall 
pass  over  to  God's  Home.  How  good  it  is!  It  is 
o-ood  for  the  individual,  it  is  orood  for  the  home,  it  is 
good  for  the  neighborhood,  it  is  good  for  the  city,  it  is 
good  for  the  nation,  it  is  good  for  the  world  of  man  ; 
— tlwclling  together  in  unity!  That  is  what  the  state- 
ment of  this  ]\salm  is. 


1 6  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  tJie 

And  how  does  die  Psalmist  illustrate  it?  To  what 
does  he  compare  it?  Why,  he  said  it  is  like  the 
precious  ointment,  not  ordinary  ointment,  but  that 
consecrated  and  consecrating  ointment  made  of  the 
choicest  spices  that  grow  upon  God's  footstool,  and 
savory  in  the  extreme.  God  made  all  those  spices 
odorous  to  every  one  ;  and  there  is  nothing  in  this 
precious  ointment,  there  is  nothing  about  it  that  is 
not  in  itself  beautiful,  fragrant,  savory,  and  calculated 
to  make  us  feel  happy.  That  is  unity,  and  unity 
resembles  the  precious  oil.  There  is  no  friction, 
there  is  no  jar,  there  is  no  strife.  It  is  beautifully 
made,  and,  when  that  was  poured  upon  the  head  of 
God's  High  Priest,  it  ran  down  even  to  the  very  skirts 
of  his  garment.  Everything  within  its  range,  within 
the  influence  of  the  atmosphere  operated  upon  by 
that,  becomes  beautifully  fragrant  and  exquisite  to  all. 
Nothincr  could  exceed  this.  Where  would  we  o-o  to 
borrow  a  figure  so  rich,  so  beautiful,  so  strikingly 
adapted  as  this  ? 

Then,  in  the  second  place,  David  says.  Behold,  how 
good  and  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together 
in  one.  What  is  union  like?  As  the  devv  of  Her- 
mon.  It  is  that  dew  that  comes  down  richly  and 
beautifully,  that  descends  upon  the  mountains  of 
Zion,  and  upon  all  those  beautiful  hills  in  the  old 
promised    home    of   Israel,  and    in   the  home  where 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.         17 

Jesus  breathed  the  first  breath  of  hfe.  They  are  the 
dews  that  come  upon  those  hills  subjected  to  the  arid 
blasts  and  oftentimes  to  the  burning  suns  ;  coming 
down  upon  all  the  mountains  and  the  hillsides  and 
the  valleys  and  everywhere  where  vegetation  requires 
to  be  refreshed  and  invigorated.  These  grateful 
dews  fall  there,  and  you  see  the  result.  It  is  life  ;  and 
that  is  the  statement  of  the  Psalmist.  These  dews 
fructify  most  beautifully,  and  enrich  beyond  measure 
as  they  come  ;  for  there,  sa)'s  the  Psalmist,  the  Lord 
commands  the  blessing.  What  blessing  ?  It  is  life. 
How  sweet  life  is, — how  good  life  is, — who  does  not 
love  the  life  ?  And  it  is  the  life  which  is  the  blessing 
spoken  of  by  the  Psalmist.  Not  the  life  of  three-score 
and  ten,  or,  it  may  be,  by  reason  of  extra  grace,  four- 
score. O  no  !  It  is  life  that  never  dies, — that  never 
can  die.  It  is  life  in  God,  and  it  is  life  with  God. 
That  is  the  direct  result  of  this  glorious  thing.  You 
go  out  in  the  morning,  and  the  beautiful  little  lily 
which,  in  the  evening,  had  drooped  its  head  as  3'ou 
retired,  has  lifted  its  head  britrht  and  bloominof  in 
your  garden  in  the  morning,  and  you  see  how  fresh, 
how  beautiful,  how  fragrant  it  is.  The  dew,  the 
influences  of  life  had  revived  it.  So  it  is  with  the 
Gospel  which  is  given  to  us.  It  is  to  vivlf)',  it  is  to 
give  life,  it  is  to  give  strength  to  the  soul,  and  it  is  to 
give  undying  life  in  Christ  Jesus,     That  is  what  God 


1 8  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

gives  ;  and  this  blessing  is  given  just  in  proportion 
as  God's  children  are  living  as  they  should. 

That  which  is  true  in  a  limited  degree,  is  true  in  an 
unboundedly  extended  degree.  That  which  is  true 
in  a  single  congregation  of  believers,  is  true  in  the 
congregated  people  of  God  from  the  rising  to  the 
setting  sun.  Blessings  always  continue  with  those 
who  dwell  in  unity  and  enjoy  that  which  the  Almighty 
has  intended  they  should.  Did  you  listen  to  that 
beautiful  chapter  which  was  read  in  your  hearing  this 
morning?  Did  you  let  it  go  down  into  your  very 
soul,  and,  as  you  listened  to  verse  after  verse,  did  you 
see  that  the  chief  and  the  crowning  of  all  is  love  ?  For 
that  is  the  word  ringing  clear  through  that  xiii.  chapter 
of  the  I.  Corinthians.  It  is  love  that  triumphs.  Now" 
abide  faith,  hope  and  love,  and  the  greatest  of  all  is 
love. 

It  is,  then,  a  part  of  my  purpose,  this  morning,  in 
pursuing  this  subject,  to  give  an  account  of  what  has 
been  the  result  in  the  fifty  years'  life  of  this  dear 
family  of  Jesus  Christ.  Nor  am  I  going  to  refer  to 
this  boastingly ;  for  there  is  not  an  act  of  my  life, 
there  is  not  a  thought  of  my  heart,  there  is  not  a 
purpose  connected  with  my  whole  being  that  is  worthy 
of  a  man,  for  which  I  am  not  indebted  to  God.  Not 
unto  me,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  that  infinite  Jehovah, 
the  God  and  Father  of  the  universe,  who  hath  left 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yohn  Chambers,  D.D.  10 

promises  so  rich,  so  free,  so  abundant  upon  this  sacred 
page  that  we  may  be  one  in  Christ,  be  all  the  praise 
and  glory. 

It  is,  to-day,  fifty  years  since  we  entered  together 
into  our  asssociation  as  pastor  and  people.  Those 
fifty  years  have  been  swept  into  eternity;  and  yet, 
here  we  are  to-day,  to  sing  the  praises  of  the 
God  who  has  preserved  us.  I  grant  you  there  is  but 
a  remnant  and  a  very  small  remnant  of  that  family  to 
whom  it  was  my  province  to  come,  at  their  own 
request,  in  the  summer  or  spring  of  1825.  On  the 
9th  day,  the  second  Sabbath  of  the  month  of  May 
1825, 1  took  my  stand  in  the  litde  house  on  Thirteenth 
street  north  of  Market.  I  was  invited  to  take  charge 
of  a  small  and  humble  congregation.  The  majority 
of  the  people  were  poor  working  people,  industrious 
people,  with  one  here  and  there  dotted  among  them 
who  could  be  called  rich.  When  I  entered  the  pulpit, 
there  was  not,  in  connection  with  that  Church  which 
had  been  in  existence  for  a  number  of  years,  any 
organized  means  of  Christian  effort ;  not  a  Sabbath 
school,  nor  a  prayer  meeting,  nor  any  religious 
organization  save  the  Church  itself;  nor  was  there,  in 
connection  with  that  conorrecration  or  its  communi- 
cants  and  three  elders,  Mr.  Reed,  Mr.  Ross  and  Mr. 
Hogg,  superannuated  men,  a  family  that  I  could 
ever  find  where  the  worship  of  God  was  observed  on 


20  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

the   Sabbath   and   on   the   morning-  and   the   evening 
durinof  the  week. 

The  prospect,  therefore,  was  rather  chilly.  I  had 
left  my  home  of  many  years  in  the  city  of  Baltimore, 
where  I  received  all  the  education  that  ever  was 
bestowed  upon  me,  and  where  I  sat  at  the  feet  of  that 
Gamaliel,  the  Reverend  John  Mason  Duncan,  to 
whom,  under  God,  I  am  indebted,  entirely  by  His 
grace,  for  the  position  I  occupy  to-day.  My  heart 
had  been  much  interested  in  religious  matters  for 
two  or  three  years  before  I  left  Baltimore.  There 
were  five  or  six  of  us  young  men,  as  students  of  Mr. 
Duncan,  and  we  had  organized  some  meetings 
through  the  city  of  Baltimore,  and  God  was  with  us ; 
and  the  warm  heart — if  I  had  any  warm  heart  at  all — 
that  I  brought  to  Philadelphia,  was  kindled  at  the 
altar  of  those  dear  young  brethren.  How  much  we 
are  indebted  to  God  for  young  men  !  How  much, 
my  brethren,  are  the  eldership,  are  you,  am  I,  indebted 
to  young  men  ! 

But  more  of  this  presently.  The  first  suggestion 
we  made  was — what  shall  we  do  ?  There  was  no 
Sabbath  school,  nor  no  prayer  meeting.  What  shall 
we  do?  At  a  meeting  of  a  number  of  the  small 
family  of  Christ,  the  proposition  was  made  that  we 
should  start  a  meeting  for  prayer,  and  the  minister 
proposed  to  borrow  two   men  from  the   Presbyterian 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  Johu.  Chambers,  D.D.         21 

Church  to  help  him.     They  all  assented  in  a  moment, 
for  we  began  with  unity,  and,  glory  be  to  Almighty 
God,  we  have  continued  in  unity ;  and,  probably,  never 
in  the   history  of  this   beloved   family,  have  we   been 
more  united    than  now.     They  all  consented  to  the 
proposition  for  a  prayer  meeting,  and  I  immediately 
made  application  for  two  brethren  with  whom  I  became 
acquainted — for  I  came  here  a  stranger;     I  did  not 
know  half  a    score  of  human   beings  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia.     I   had   but  limited  knowledge.     I  had 
no  ministerial  experience  that  I  could  speak  of  at  all. 
I  then  made  application  for  two  men,  one  of  them, 
Wilfred  Hall,  whom  I  presume  is  in   this  house  this 
morning,  although  I  do  not  see  him,  and  Hiram  Ayres, 
both    of  them    admirable    praying   men.      We    then 
made  application  to  Mr.  Hall  for  the  use  of  a  room 
on  Market  street  near  what  is  now  called  Seventeenth 
street.     There  were  not  many  people  above  Broad 
street  then,  and  Mr.  Hall  granted  us  the  use  of  the 
room ;  and,  on  the  fourth  Sabbath  of  May,  we  gave 
notice  of  the  prayer  meeting  which  was  to  be  held.     I 
went  along  with  him  to  the  prayer  meeting.     I  knew 
not  what  would  be  the  reception,  but  when  we  got 
there,  near    the    hour    of  commencino-   the   meetino- 
there  was  scarcely  a  spot  for  a  human  being  to  stand. 
They  were    there    from    Callowhill  and    from   Front 
street;    there    were    some    young    people    from    the 


2 2  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

neighborhood  of  the  Navy  Yard ;  and  diere  were 
odiers  from  every  possible  direction,  gathering  at  this 
wild  place  with  us,  this  Centre  Square,  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night.  They  did  not  seem  to  fear 
anything,  their  hearts  were  settled,  and  that  meeting  re- 
sulted most  gloriously  and  every  one  of  us  went  away 
rejoicing.  The  consequence  was  that  sinners  became 
converted,  the  congregation  on  the  Lord's  Day  in- 
creased in  numbers,  in  intensity,  in  solemnity,  until 
the  month  of  August,  when  the  Reverend  Dr.  Ely,  of 
Old  Pine  Street  Church,  preached  and  administered 
the  Lord's  Supper,  (I  was  not  ordained  and  could  not 
do  it,)  and  admitted  to  that  first  communion  over 
forty  individuals.  Many  of  them  were  young  men 
and  women,  and  they  were  ready  to  go  to  work,  and 
they  did  go  to  work  ;  for,  before  the  last  of  June,  we 
had  connected  together  quite  a  large  number  of 
interested,  ardent,  earnest  young  men.  In  the  mean- 
time, some  young  men  had  been  converted  and  some 
old  men,  and  they  had  come  to  me  and  volunteered 
their  assistance  in  the  prayer  meeting ;  so  that  I  had, 
in  less  than  five  weeks  after  the  oroanization  of  the 
prayer  meeting,  having  not  a  single  individual  to  help 
when  we  started,  four  volunteers  who  came  to  me  to 
assure  me  of  their  willingness  to  speak  for  Christ  and 
to  lead  in  prayer. 

Then  the  next  move  was  for  a  Sabbath  school ;  and 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yohn  Chambers,  D.  D.         23 

the  marvel  was  with  what  eagerness  they  took  hold 
of  it.  They  took  hold  of  it  with  the  most  wonderful 
eagerness,  and  carried  it  on  with  vigor,  procured 
rooms,  and  Sabbath  school  scholars  and  teachers 
entered  their  names,  and  we  went  on  and  on  from 
that  very  day,  after  the  institution  of  the  prayer 
meeting  and  the  Sabbath  school,  and  the  conse- 
quence was  that  we  very  soon  felt  that  God  was  with 
us. 

In  the  month  of  December  of  that  year,  I  left  the 
city  of  Philadelphia  for  the  city  of  New  Haven,  where 
I  was  ordained  by  an  association,  to  the  Gospel 
ministry.  I  came  back  home,  and,  on  the  first 
Sabbath  of  January,  1826,  I  administered  the  Lord's 
Supper  for  the  first  time.  Between  seventy  and 
eighty  individuals  united  with  us  on  that  day,  and  I 
baptized  the  first  child  I  ever  baptized;  and  I  suppose 
that  child,  Mr.  John  Chambers  Arrison,  may  be  in 
the  house  this  morning.  That  communion  occasion 
was  peculiarly  rich,  in  consequence  of  the  presence 
of  the  Divine  Master,  and  we  had  everything  to 
cheer  and  everything  to  comfort  us.  Thus  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  tide  of  God's  favor  was  taken  at  the 
flood,  and  it  has  brought  us  on  to  w^here  we  are 
to-day  ;  and  I  live  to  be  able  to  say,  on  this  fiftieth 
anniversary,  that  we  have  admitted  to  the  Church 
of  Jesus   Christ  3,585  members.      We  have  sent  (Hit 


24  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

from  our  Church  between  thirty  and  forty  young 
men  who  are  in  the  ministry,  two  of  whom  are  in 
the  pulpit  with  me  this  morning,  and  possibly  there 
are  others  in  the  house.  A  number  of  them  have 
paid  the  debt  of  nature  and  have  gone  home,  after 
they  renounced  the  cross  to  have  the  crown  put  upon 
their  heads. 

Thus  we  have  moved  together,  and  I  can  say  to 
this  congregation  that  there  is  to-day,  a  unity  through- 
out   this    family  of  God  that  I  cannnot    explain.      I 
know  not  of  a  disturbance,  or  of  an  unkind  feeling. 
It  has  been  thus,  that  we  have  moved  on  gradually, 
step  by  step,  in   the  discharge  of  our  duties  ;  and   I 
cannot  refrain  from  making  just  this  passing  remark, 
from  my  own  fifty  years'  experience,  from  what  I  have 
seen  and  known  to  be  done  in   this  Church  ; — where 
would  the  world  be  to-day,  what  would  be   its  condi- 
tion, its  moral,  its  spiritual,  its  religious  condition,  if  the 
church  of  God  had  continued  a  unit,  just  such  as  is 
referred  to  in  this  beautiful  text,  and  such  as    runs 
through  all  God's  Divine  Scriptures  ?     What  would 
have  been  the  condition  of  the  world   to-day,  if  the 
entire  ministry  of  reconciliation  had  been,  every  one 
united  together?     How  good,  how  pleasant  it  is  ior 
brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity !      What  would 
have    been    the  condition    of  the  world,    and  where 
would  have  been  the  geographical  limits  of  my  Lord 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.  25 

and  of  your  Lord,  and  of  his  kingdom  to-day, — what 
would  have  been  the  condition  of  the  six  hundred 
millions  of  men  away  off  in  the  distant  countries  of 
the  world,  if,  in  the  seventeen  or  eighteen  hundred 
years  of  the  Christian  religion,  the  Church  had  been 
one,  if  her  ministry  had  been  one, — one  in  mind,  one 
in  heart,  one  in  purpose  ?  There  is  but  one  way  to 
Heaven,  and  I  ask  what  would  have  been  the  condi- 
tion of  the  world  if,  in  all  these  years,  the  Church  of 
God  had  been  one  ?  Who  could  estimate  it  by  possi- 
bilities ?  You  see  what  the  result  might  have  been 
by  what  it  has  been,  in  a  small  way,  with  this  humble 
congregation,  numbering  some  fifty  or  more  followers 
of  the  Man  of  Nazareth;  for  we,  being  a  unit  in  our 
Church  relations,  have  been  moving  on,  step  by  step 
in  the  way  that  God  had  pointed  out, — young  men, 
old  men,  young  women  and  old  women,  recording 
their  names  upon  the  book  of  God,  joining  their 
hands  and  their  hearts  in  the  great  business  of  saving 
men.  If  this  had  been  done  with  the  Church  the 
world  o  \cr,  what  would  have  been  the  result 
Where  would  the  war  cry  be  heard  ?  Where  would 
be  heard  the  wild  blast  of  the  trumpet,  summoning 
men  to  bloody  and  deadly  conflict,  under  the  dominion 
of  Prince  Jesus  ?  and  there  is  where  it  must  be,  for, 
my  brethren,  you  will  never  put  this  world  right  if 
you  were  to  bring  the  whole  globe  under  the  dominion 


26  Scjni-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

and  power  of  carnage  and  deadi.  You  could  never 
effect  its  regeneration  in  that  way.  There  is  but  one 
way  in  which  this  world  of  ours  can  be  .bettered, 
bettered  intellectually,  bettered  morally,  bettered 
spiritually,  bettered  physically,  and  that  is  by  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  marvel  is  that  men 
are  so  dull  on  this  subject.  Do  not  they  see  it  ? 
What  have  we  been  doing  in  this  world  for  six  thou- 
sand years  ?  We  have  been  killing  each  other  by 
millions  and  millions  and  millions.  Have  we  con- 
verted anybody?  No,  certainly  no!  Then  we  have 
to  come  to  this  unity,  to  this  one  in  Christ,  this  one  in 
hope,  this  one  in  joy,  this  one  in  that  grand  anchorage 
of  our  immortal  nature,  within  the  dominions  of  the 
Most  High  God.  Just  look  at  this  little  family  of 
Jesus  Christ,  this  humble  family,  with  a  young 
minister,  a  stranger  away  from  home  and  from  the 
friendships  of  his  boyhood  and  his  youth,  that  agreed, 
by  God's  grace,  to  love  each  other,  to  work  with  each 
other,  to  pray  with  each  other,  and  the  result  is  before 
us.  Thousands  and  thousands  have  been  added  to 
the  Church  of  our  own  choice  ;  and  we  know  nothinor 
about  the  outside  influences  that  have  gone  abroad 
from  these  praying  men  and  women,  to  bless  and 
strengthen  other  churches.  But  such  it  is  ;  and,  I 
say,  we  agreed  for  ever  and  ever,  so  far  as  we  were 
concerned,  to  live  in  unity.     We  have  been  living  in 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  Jo  Jin  CJianibcrs,  D.  D.         27 

unity,  and  I  can  testify,  in  the  presence  of  my  God, 
that  there  has  not,  in  any  single  instance,  in  the 
meetings  of  our  Session  for  fifty  years,  been  an 
unkind  or  an  angry  word  spoken.  We  never  gave  a 
vote,  when  it  was  necessary  to  give  it,  when  the  vote 
was  not  a  unit.  In  the  Board  of  Trustees  there  has 
been  great  unanimity — marvellous  unanimity.  I  am 
not  acquainted  with  the  past  history  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  as  thoroughly  as  I  am  with  the  history  of 
the  Session,  over  which  I  presided,  but  I  know  that 
they  have  been  just  a  unit ;  and  the  consequence  has 
been  that  we  have  never  in  our  lives  gone  abroad  to 
seek  for  means  to  help  us.  We  sought  no  aid  to  help 
us  build  this  beautiful  church,  which,  I  think,  is  good 
enough  for  anybody,  even  for  those  that  are  spending 
millions  of  dollars  on  houses  of  worship,  while  many 
of  their  brethren  are  starving  for  want  of  the  Gospel 
of  God.  I  never  believed  in  such  a  policy,  and  I  do 
not  now.  We  have  never  had  a  fair,  nor  a  concert, 
nor  a  festival.  All  that  we  needed,  we  receiveci  from 
private  contributions,  and  the  immense  majority  of  it 
was  from  our  own  industrious  and  working  people  ; 
and  God  only  can  tell  what  a  people  can  do  if  they 
will. 

So  it  has  been,  my  brethren,  that  God  has  bestowed 
upon  us  so  much  of  his  love,  that  3,585  members 
have  been  taken  into  church  fellowship  with  us  ;  and, 


28  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

of  this  great  number,  among  those  who  are  living 
to-day,  although  I  have  endeavored  to  find  out 
diligently,  I  do  not  know  but  a  single  individual  now 
living  who  voted  for  me  to  come  to  the  city.  I  have 
been  In  quest  of  others  but  I  cannot  find  them  ;  and 
there  are  but  a  very,  very  few  In  this  family  now,  of 
those  who  started  with  us  or  who  came  Into  the  com- 
munion of  the  church  shordy  after. 

It  has  thus  been  my  privilege,  beloved,  to  labor 
with  you,  to  pray  and  to  preach.  I  have  seen  your 
children  brought  into  the  church  and  have  baptized 
them.  I  have  seen  and  baptized  their  children's 
children.  I  have  baptized  the  children  and  I  have 
married  their  children,  and  I  have  baptized  their  grand- 
children, and  have  enjoyed  it  greatly.  Here  I  may  just 
as  well  state  the  fact  to  you,  that  I  have  married  2,329 
couples.  I  was  not  responsible  for  their  future 
happiness,  but,  I  believe  and  trust  that,  in  the  main, 
they  have  all  been  happy.  If  they  were  not  happy, 
the  fault  is  their  own.  There  is  no  reason  why  men 
and  women  cannot  be  happy  when  they  ought  to  be. 

Connected  with  our  movements  as  a  church,  no 
single  event  in  our  history  exceeds  In  point  of 
grandeur  or  of  importance  Bethany  Mission.  I  say 
none  exceeds  in  point  of  grandeur,  and  greatness, 
and  usefulness,  Bethany  Mission.  A  very  few,  some 
thirty  of  the  young  workers  of  our  church,  headed  by 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  I).  29 

that  remarkable  young  man,  John  Wanamaker,  left 
us,  and  after  there  being  a  selection  made  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  city,  they  started  a  Sabbath 
school  in  the  working  room  of  a  little  Irish 
shoemaker,  with  some  ten  little  ragged  children  to 
begin  with,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  weeks, 
they  had  to  take  all  the  rooms  in  the  little  Irishman's 
home,  pretty  much,  and  then  they  had  not  enough. 
A  tent  was  erected  that  would  contain  some  four  or 
five  hundred  ;  and  then  the  cono^reg-ation  agreed  that 
there  should  be  a  house  put  up,  and  a  one-story 
house  was  put  up  that  would  contain  some  five  or  six 
hundred.  They  went  to  work,  and  they  worked  just 
like  workers  ought  to  work ;  and  now  let  any  one  of 
you  go  to  that  southwestern  part  of  this  city  and 
contrast  its  present  condition  with  what  it  was  twenty 
years  ago.  Look  at  that  Bethany  Mission  school  con- 
taining from  seventeen  to  eighteen  hundred  children. 
Look  at  Bethany  Presbyterian  Church,  in  con- 
junction with  Bethany  Mission  school,  a  beautiful 
structure,  capable  of  holding  a  large  number;  and 
then  look  around,  and  ask  where  are  those  haunts  of 
vice,  where  are  those  low  drinking  saloons,  where  are 
those  bloated  evidences  of  a  poor  degraded  drunkard? 
Changed  as  with  God's  breath  in  the  morning  of 
Paradise  ;  all  changed,  and  there  is  a  comfortable  and 
beautiful  home  for  the  artizan  and  the  mechanic,  and 


30  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

everything  wears  the  aspect  of  Bible  Christianity. 
And,  my  brethren,  it  matters  not  where  you  estabhsh 
the  Protestant  rehgion — and  I  am  not  ashamed  or 
afraid  to  say  it — wherever  you  estabhsh  this  Pro- 
testant rehgion  you  take  with  it  blessings  to  the  poor, 
blessings  to  the  home,  you  change  the  aspect  of  all, 
and  you  are  permitted  to  look  at  what  God  Almighty 
does  with  a  people  who  will  do  what  He  asks  them 
to  do  for  themselves.  I  consider  that  Bethany  Mission 
one  of  the  grandest  events  of  our  fifty  years'  history ; 
and  I  am  thankful  to  God  that  that  which  was  but  a 
little  child  and  unable  to  walk  alone,  God  has  per- 
mitted me  to  live  and  see  it  a  magnificent  child, 
moving  on,  in  the  majesty  of  truth  and  in  the  power 
of  holiness,  to  bring  men  to  God.  That  little  mis- 
sionary effort  some  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  ago, 
or  thereabouts,  is  now  a  grand  success,  throwing  out 
influences  of  piety  in  every  possible  direction.  I 
cannot  but  rejoice  in  my  inmost  soul  at  this  great 
success  that  has  been  allowed  us  in  the  discharge  of 
our  duty.  And  we  might  look  at  very  many  other 
things  in  connection  with  it,  but,  if  we  give  you  the 
facts  in  connection  with  this  movement,  you  will  be 
satisfied  that  it  was  the  result  of  dwelling  in  unity. 
That  was  the  result  of  union,  and  this  splendid 
buildino-  in  which  we  are  assembled  is  the  result  of 
union.     When,  in    1830,   it  was  impossible   for  us   to 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  Jolui  Chambers,  D.  I).  3  L 

stay  in  tlic  little  house  built  by  the  Will  of  Mari^aret 
Duncan,  we  determined  to  erect  this  building-.  And 
here  let  me  say,  my  brethren,  that  the  old  house 
ought  never  to  have  been  touched.  No  brick  should 
ever  have  been  moved  from  a  wall  in  that  building. 
That  house  was  built  by  reason  of  the  Will  of  the 
grandmother  of  my  honored  father  in  Christ,  the 
Reverend  John  Mason  Duncan  ;  because,  on  her  way 
from  her  native  land,  from  the  very  town  in  the 
county  of  Tyrone  where  it  was  my  privilege  first  to 
see  life,  from  the  town  of  Stewartstown,  across  the 
Atlantic,  the  vessel  on  which  she  was  a  passenger 
was  overtaken  by  a  terrific  storm.  Everything  w^as 
given  up  for  lost,  and  the  captain  assured  the  people 
that  there  was  nothincj  more  to  be  done.  That 
venerable,  old  Christian  woman  went  to  the  captain 
and  asked  to  have  every  one  brought  into  the  cabin 
in  order  that  she  might  pray  with  them  to  God,  and 
all  that  could  be  spared  went  into  the  cabin  ;  and  that 
venerable  old  woman,  between  seventy  and  eighty 
years  of  age,  called  them  all  around  her,  and  went 
down  upon  her  knees  to  pray  to  God — as  people 
ought  to  do  when  they  pray,  I  do  not  believe  in  this 
modern,  lazy  way  of  praying  sitting  down.  No,  I  do 
not.  But,  all  on  board  this  vessel  gathered  around 
this  good  old  Christian  woman  in  the  cabin,  and  that 
old  saint  of  God  bowed  down  and  covenanted  with  her 


32  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  iJie 

Father  in  Heaven,  when  the  wild  tempest  was  sweep- 
ing through  the  rigging,  smashing  everything  almost 
as  it  went  on  its  terrible  career ;  and  she  told  the 
Lord  that  if  He  would  bring  them  safe  to  shore  and 
land  them  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  she  would  build 
Him  a  church.  The  tempest  ceased  to  howl  speedily; 
the  winds  lulled  ;  the  sailors  adjusted  the  broken 
rigging ;  and,  thanks  be  to  God,  on  the  ship  came, 
sailed  up  the  Delaware,  and  Mrs.  Duncan  landed 
alive  ;  and,  when  her  Will  was  written,  the  money  that 
was  left  for  that  purpose  built  the  little  church  where 
we  worshiped  so  long.  I  say  it  is  a  shame  that  the 
church  was  ever  destroyed.  However,  it  is  torn 
down,  and  we  have  nothinof  more  to  do  with  it. 

During  our  existence  as  a  church,  eighteen  brethren 
have  been  selected  and  elected  to  the  Board  of  Elder- 
ship from  the  beginning  to  now.  The  first  election 
has  passed  beyond  my  recollection,  and  I  cannot  call 
it  up  ;  but  eight  out  of  the  eighteen  of  those  men 
have  gone  home  to  God.  Every  one  of  them  was  a 
noble  worker.  They  were  Matthew  Arrison, 
Thomas  Hibbard,  Robert  Luther,  Jacob  B.  Broome, 
John  Yard,  Aaron  H.  Burtis,  Richard  Smallbrook 
and  Alexander  Brown. 

Mr.  Robert  Buist  was  an  elder  at  the  time,  and 
amonc^  the  noblest  workers;  but  he  remove ,1  to  the 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJin  Chambej'Sy  D.D.         33 

country  and  could  not  attend.  He  resigned  his  elder- 
ship, which  we  all  most  deeply  regretted. 

Then  there  was  a  small  difference — if  I  may  call  it 
small — in  the  Session,  during  the  late  war.  Some 
of  my  dear  brethren,  four  of  them,  thought  that 
I  did  not  pursue  the  right  course.  In  my  conscience, 
before  the  Lord,  I  was  opposed  to  the  war ;  and  I  am 
conscientiously  opposed  to  all  war.  Conscientiously. 
My  Divine  Master  set  me  such  a  magnificent 
example,  as  you  find  it  in  the  9th  Chapter  of  the 
Book  of  Luke,  where  His  disciples  come  to  Him  and 
wanted  some  fire  to  come  down,  as  the  prophet  had 
called  it  before,  and  consume  His  enemies ; — in  the 
magnificent  meekness  and  magnanimity  of  the  incar- 
nate Godhead,  Jesus  said,  "  I  did  not  come  to  destroy 
life,  but  to  save  it."  And  that  natal  song,  sung  ages 
ago,  will  never  cease  ringing  through  my  ears : 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth,  peace,  good- 
will to  men  ! "  Can  I,  as  a  minister,  could  I,  as  a 
minister  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  encourage  that  which 
was  to  imbue  my  brothers'  hands  in  brothers'  blood  ? 
No!  No!  No! 

Some  of  these  dear  brethren  have  moved  from  us. 
We  did  not  dispute.  They  treated  me,  and  they 
have  always  treated  me  with  the  greatest  respect, 
and  they  were  among  our  most  useful  men.  They 
were     Daniel    Steinmetz,    Joseph    B.    Shepherd,    R. 


34  Se7Jii- Centennial  Amiivcrsary  of  the 

S.  Walton,  and  John  Yard,  Jr.  The  diree  former  left 
us,  but  we  parted  In  peace,  and  we  have  been  on 
terms  of  the  most  perfect  friendship  since.  Our 
brother  Yard,  I  believe,  never  again  worshiped  with 
us.  I  am  not  positive  as  to  that,  but  he  never  took 
his  certificate  of  membership  away,  and  it  was  his 
solicitation  that  I  should  stand  by  him,  as  that  beloved 
man  of  God  cast  earth's  tears  and  sorrows  and 
anxieties  upon  Christ  as  the  charter  of  his  salvation  ; 
and  I  bade  him  farewell  as  he  went  home  to  God. 
That  is  the  only  instance  in  all  our  life  when  there 
was  any  trouble,  and  we  did  not  have  trouble  with 
each  other  then — we  parted  in  peace. 

We  have,  at  the  present  time,  in  the  Board  of 
Eldership,  the  following :  Francis  Newland,  Thomas 
P.  Dill,  John  C.  Hunter,  Edward  S.  Lawyer,  Frederick 
J.  Buck,  M.  D.,  and  Robert  H.  Hinckley,  Jr.  These 
are  true  men,  noble  men,  and  we  are  perfectly  one 
in  mind  and  heart,  touching  the  interests  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  This  is  a  record  that  is  worthy  of 
being  written.  I  might  say  also,  that  during  my  min- 
istry, I  have  attended  between  four  and  five  thousand 
funerals.  I  am  utterly  unable  to  give  you  any 
account  of  the  number  of  times  that  I  have  preached 
and  spoken  for  my  dear  Master.  I  am  confident  of 
one  thing,  however,   that  I  have  preached,   upon  an 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yoJin  Cha7?tbers,  D.  D.         35 

average,    three    times    every   week    during   the  fifty 
years  of  my  ministration. 

Aside  from  many,  very  many  of  the  blessings  of 
life  (and  allow  me  to  say  that  I  will  not  detain  you 
a  moment  longer  than  I  can  help)  I  have  had 
exceedingly  many  endowments  and  favors  that  I  have 
received  as  the  minister  of  this  congregation,  in  the 
fifty  years  in  which  they  have  bestowed  upon  me 
great  kindnesses  ;  one  occasion  was  in  my  early  min- 
istry. In  the  year  1830,  I  lost  my  voice,  so  that  I 
could  not  have  been  heard  twenty  paces  from  where 
I  am  now,  if  you  had  given  me  the  world.  My 
physician  ordered  me  away,  and  I  was  gone  fourteen 
months.  When  the  announcement  was  made  to  my 
brethren  that  I  had  to  go,  they  instantly  made 
arrangements.  They  put  into  my  purse  twenty-five 
hundred  dollars,  and  into  the  hand  of  my  dear  friend 
and  brother,  Rev.  Dr.  Ludlow,  the  father  of  Judge 
Ludlow,  one  thousand  dollars,  to  preach  on  the  Sab- 
bath for  one  year ;  making  thirty-five  hundred 
dollars  down  at  once.  It  was  a  noble  and  generous 
act  on  their  part. 

The  ladies  of  the  congregation  clubbed  together 
once,  as  women  can  do,  and  they  carpeted  my  house, 
my  study,  and  my  parlors,  beautifully  and  elegantly, 
and  it  lasted  me  for  years.  In  1865,  the  male 
members  of  the  Church  agreed  together,  without  my 


36  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

having  the  sHghtest  knowledge,  and  they  procured 
for  me  a  most  beautiful  set  of  silver,  which  most  of 
you  have  seen,  and  any  of  you  can  see,  for  it  is  not 
locked  away.  I  have  used  it  from  the  first  day  until 
now,  and  I  will  use  it  while  God  allows  me  to  live. 
It  was  a  splendid  present.  When  I  reached  my 
seventy-sixth  year,  the  young  people  of  the  Church, 
without  my  knowing  one  word  of  it,  got  together,  and 
they  converted  those  two  figures  "  7 — 6  "  into  gold 
dollars,  and  they  presented  me  the  "  76"  beautifully 
made  up  of  gold  dollars,  containing  one  hundred  and 
eleven  in  all. 

In  this  way,  these  people  have  bestowed  their  kind- 
ness upon  me,  and,  in  addition  to  these  favors,  if 
I  were  to  tell  you  all  the  story,  and  all  the  history  of 
the  many — the  very  many  private  and  beautiful  favors 
sent  to  my  house,  I  would  not  know  where  to  com- 
mence. Many  of  them  I  enjoy  still,  and  how 
generous  and  how  attractive  they  are !  Moreover, 
in  this  pulpit,  for  I  can  only  just  give  you  hints  in 
regard  to  this  thing,  the  evening  of  life  has  been 
rendered  beautiful  by  the  love  and  the  kindness  of 
this  Church. 

For  forty-eight  years  we  were  an  Independent 
Presbyterian  Church  ;  but,  as  the  shadows  began  to 
grow  long  and  I  could  see  that  they  were  reaching 
out  toward  the  end  of  my  pilgrimage,  I  was  concerned 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJin  Chambers,  D.  D.         37 

about  this  beautiful  house,  this  valuable  property,  for 
it  is  all  ours.  It  is  free  of  debt.  We  do  not  owe 
anybody,  and,  thank  God,  your  preacher  can  say  that 
the  man  does  not  breathe  on  earth  that  can  ask  him 
for  one  cent  of  indebtedness.  My  brethren,  I  do  not 
owe  a  cent  on  the  face  of  the  earth, — not  one. 
About  three  years  ago,  I  began  to  think  seriously 
about  the  future  condition  of  our  Church.  I  had  no 
confidence.  For  a  whole  year  I  did  not  even  say  to 
the  beloved  companion  of  my  bosom  what  my  object 
was,  what  I  was  thinkiho-  about,  but  I  was  casting 
around  to  know  what  was  to  become  of  this  house. 
I  thought  of  that  little  house  down  at  the  eastern  end 
of  Girard  street,  where  the  venerable  and  godly 
Samuel  Wylie,  D.  D.,  lived  and  preached  Jesus 
Christ ;  and  I  remembered  the  degradation  which 
afterward  fell  upon  it.  I  remembered  the  beautiful 
church  on  Seventh  street  below  Arch,  where  our 
honored  friend.  Dr.  Beadle,  preached  ;  and  I  remem- 
bered that  it  was  converted  into  a  place  for  negro 
minstrels.  I  recollected  the  house  where  my  once 
remarkable  and  eloquent  and  noble  friend,  Thomas 
H.  Stockton,  preached  Christ  Jesus  ;  and  how  it  was 
desecrated  from  the  service  of  Almighty  God  to  the 
service  of  the  devil ;  and  I  said,  one  morning,  as  I  sat 
upon  the  summit  of  a  hill  away  off  yonder  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  just  as  the  sun  was  eoin"-  down, 


38  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

and  I  looked  out  upon  diat  beautiful  country:  "God 
helping  me,  when  I  go  home  I  will  tell  my  brethren 
the  conclusion  I  have  reached  after  a  whole  year's 
study,  and  thought,  and  prayer."  That  conclusion 
that  I  had  come  to  was,  that  we  would  go  into  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Philadelphia,  we  would  change 
our  charter,  and  we  would  put  this  Church  in  such  a 
chartered  position  that  we  should  never  lose  it,  but 
it  should  stand  firm  and  fixed  upon  the  immutable 
principles  of  the  Lord  God,  firmly  consecrated  to  the 
holiness  of  the  atonement  and  the  blood  of  the  saints. 
We  did  it.  We  went  into  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Those  men  of  God  threw  their  arms  around  us, 
almost  with  shouts  of  hallelujah,  in  the  room  just  back 
of  our  house.  The  Presbytery  met  us  and  welcomed 
us,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  this  Church 
taken  into  fellowship  with  that  denomination  where 
they  are  to-day,  and  where  I  trust  the  Church  will 
ever  abide  and  prosper  under  God's  blessing.  I  say, 
devoutly,  that  we  did  not  lose  our  membership  by  the 
change.  I  believe  there  were  two  communicants 
who  took  some  offense,  one  of  them,  poor  fellow,  has 
gone  home  to  Heaven,  I  believe,  but  there  were  but 
those  two  who  left  us  ;  and  I  am  as  certain  as  I  can 
be,  that  if  that  dear  brother  had  lived,  they  would 
have,  both  husband  and  wife,  been  with  us  now. 

I  will  also  state  that  the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.  30 

Supper  has  been  administered  every  quarter  of  a 
year  for  the  last  fifty  years,  and  that  there  has  been 
but  one  communion  during-  the  whole  time  when 
there  were  not  additions,  and  that  was  one  of  the 
quarters  when  I  was  absent  in  Europe.  We  have 
never  received,  at  any  single  time,  fewer  than  seven, 
and  no  more,  at  any  one  time,  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty  to  the  communion.  I  state  these  facts  that 
you  may  see  how  good  God  has  been  to  us,  aud  how 
great  our  debt  is. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  returning  my  thanks  to  my 
beloved  friends,  the  members  of  the  Grand  Lodee  of 
Masons  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  for  their 
presence  this  morning, — may  God  bless  them,  every 
one  ! 

Those  of  you  who  are  here  to-day  in  this  vast 
assemblage  of  my  fellow-citizens,  will  not  be  surprised 
that  I  love  the  conofreg-ation  of  this  church,  and  that 
I  can  say,  "  Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is 
for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity."  We  might 
have  been  torn  to  pieces,  had  not  unity  prevailed. 
The  devil  tried  it  twice,  but  failed  signally ;  and  he 
could  not  do  it  if  he  was  to  try  it  a  thousand  times  ; 
for  God  is  a  sun  and  shield,  who  Q-ives  (jrace  and 
glory,  who  surrounds  His  people  with  majesty,  if  they 
put  their  trust  in  Him.  You  cannot  marvel  then, 
that  my  heart  clusters  around  these  men  and  women 


4  0  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

of  God  who  have  treated  me  with  so  much  kindness, 
not  one  of  whom  has  ever  spoken  an  unkind  or  an 
ungracious  word  to  me  in  all  my  ministry.  I  esteem 
and  love  them  for  all  they  have  done.  Now  what 
can  I  do  ?  All  that  I  have  to  do  is  to  give  them  the 
unbounded  gratitude  of  my  heart,  and,  from  the 
inmost  home  of  my  heart,  I  pray  Almighty  God  that 
upon  every  one  us  of  may  come  the  blessing  of  God 
and  His  dear  Son  ;  and  my  prayer  to  my  Father  and 
my  Master  is,  that  in  the  future,  when  it  shall  please 
God  to  make  alterations  and  changes  such  as  He  has 
a  right  to  make  and  as  He  will  make,  that  there 
may  come  into  this  pulpit  a  man  far  in  advance  of  the 
old  preacher,  in  every  respect,  and  that  peace  and 
prosperity  may  be  upon  him  and  upon  you,  in  your 
homes,  in  your  business,  in  your  families,  and  in  your 
church ;  by  the  wayside  in  this  life,  and  with  you 
forever  in  the  life  eternal.  God  bless  you  !  God 
bless  you  !  God  bless  you  !  You — and  you — and 
you — God  bless  us  every  one  !     Amen. 

Rev.  Edgar  M.  Levy,  D.  D.,  then  offered  the 
following  prayer : 

Almighty  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  Thou  who 
hast  been  the  help  and  the  strength  of  Thy  people, 
who  hast  covered  them  under  the  shadow  of  Thy 
wing,  bring  to  this  people  and  to  Thy  church  every- 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.         41 

where,  comfort  and  joy  and  peace.  We  diank  Thee 
on  this  auspicious  day  for  the  memories  of  the  past, 
and  for  the  blessings  of  the  present.  We  have  come 
here  to  join  our  beloved  pastor  and  father  in  Christ, 
in  raising'  an  Ebenezer  to  Thy  grace.  We  all  would 
inscribe  upon  that  memorial  column,  "Hitherto  hath 
the  Lord  helped  us."  Our  hearts  are  all  tremulous 
with  pleasant  memories,  and  our  eyes  moist  at  the 
recollections  of  days  gone  by,  of  sweet  and  hallowed 
seasons  spent  in  this  sacred  place.  We  thank  Thee, 
O  God,  for  the  long  life  and  the  useful  ministry  of 
Thy  servant  who  has  spoken  to  us  this  morning. 
We  thank  Thee  that  he  has  ministered  to  so  many  of 
us  ;  that  he  has  been  a  comfort  and  a  joy  to  so  many 
dear  to  our  hearts,  who  have  crossed  the  river  and 
are  before  Thy  throne  in  glory ;  that  he  has  com- 
forted and  blessed  so  many  who  yet  linger  like 
setting  stars,  still  filling  us  with  joy  and  gratitude, 
because  of  their  relationship  to  us,  and  their  strength 
in  Thy  Divine  faith.  W^e  thank  Thee  for  the  multi- 
tudes that  have  thronged  this  temple,  for  the  hearts 
that  have  been  won  to  the  service  of  Jesus,  for  the 
trophies  that  have  here  been  hung  upon  the  cross  of 
Christ,  and  for  the  streams  of  blessings  that  have 
been  fiowing  for  so  many  years  from  this  centre  of 
strength  and  salvation. 

And  now,  O  God,  we  pray  that  Thou  wilt   bless 


42  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

Thy  servant  abundantly,  to-day.  Grant  that  his 
health  and  strength  may  be  yet  continued  for  years 
to  come.  May  his  eye  grow  no  dimmer,  may  his 
strength  not  become  feebler,  may  he  continue  to 
abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty,  may  he  so 
abide  in  strength  and  continue  to  proclaim  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  May  his  last  days  be 
even  more  fruitful  of  blessing  than  the  days  and 
years  which  are  past ;  and  grant  that,  at  last,  he  may 
see  the  fruits  of  his  ministry  in  the  salvation  of  souls 
gathered  around  Thy  throne  in  Heaven  ! 

We  pray  Thee  now,  to  bless  this  service,  bless  this 
thronging  congregation.  Grant  that  we  may  all 
receive  a  new  inspiration  from  what  we  have  heard, 
and  learn  to  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  to  trust  in  Him 
forever,  for  with  the  Lord  is  everlasting  strength, 

O  God !  be  Thou  the  God  of  our  brother  and 
father  in  Christ.  Be  Thou  our  God,  our  strength 
and  our  shield,  and,  when  we  are  called  from  earth, 
may  we  all  have  an  abundant  fulness  given  to  us  in 
the  Heavenly  Kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour, 
Jesus  Christ.  May  we  join  that  great  family  who 
have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb.  May  we  be  permitted  to  join 
with  him  who  has  been  our  guide,  our  teacher,  our 
pastor,  and  our  friend,  in  crowning  Jesus,  Lord  of  All ; 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.         43 

and  to  Thy  great  name,  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost, 
shall  be  all  the  praise.     Amen. 

The  closing-  hymn,  No.  598,  was  read  by  Rev. 
John  C.  Bliss. 

The  benediction  was  then  pronounced  by  Rev. 
John  Chambers,  D.  D. 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of 
God,  and  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  with 
you  all, — Amen. 

After  which  the  vast  congregation  quietly  and 
silently  dispersed,  but  bearing  with  them  the  deep 
impress  of  the  solemn  services. 

On  Sabbath  afternoon.  Rev.  Dr.  T.  J.  Sheppard,  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  church.  Northern  Liberties, 
whose  early  ministry  had  been  much  encouraged  by 
Dr.  Chambers,  was  selected  to  preach  the  sermon, 
which  was  delivered  with  peculiar  grace  and  power  as 
follows  : 

I  esteem  it,  my  friends,  a  special  privilege  and 
honor  to  be  invited  to  take  part  in  the  memorial  ser- 
vices of  to-day.  I  have  known  and  loved  the  honored 
pastor  of  this  church  a  generation's  time.  When 
near  a  quarter  century  ago  I  came  to  this  city  and 
entered  upon  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  a  neighbor- 
ing congregation,  I  was  indebted  for  suggestion  and 
counsel  to  no  one  more  than  to  him  who  to-day,  in  his 


44  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

first  and  only  charge,  completes  his  half  century  of 
service.  A  youno-  minister,  I  needed  the  advice  and 
aid  of  an  older  and  wiser  one  ;  and  from  the  pastor  of 
this  church  I  never  sought  either  in  vain.  I  am  glad 
that  arrangements  for  these  memorial  services  have 
been  so  generously  and  so  properly  made ;  I  am 
especially  glad  that  I  am  permitted,  this  afternoon,  to 
place  a  tiny  chaplet  of  affection  and  reverence  upon 
the  brow  of  a  veteran  soldier  of  Christ,  my  own  per- 
sonal friend  and  the  trusted  counsellor  and  guide  of 
the  many  hundreds  in  this  great  assembly,  who  rejoice 
to  call  him  their  pastor.  I  simply  echo  the  sentiment 
of  the  churches  in  this  city  when,  as  their  humble 
representative,  I  remind  the  flock  which  has  been  my 
brother's  life-long^  charg-e,  that  in  most  honoringf  him 
they  most  honor  themselves. 

But,  forbearing  to  extend  these  introductory  re- 
marks, I  proceed  at  once  to  the  part  assigned  me. 
In  connection  with  the  third  verse  of  the  first  Psalm, 
and  as  a  theme  not  inappropriate  to  this  occasion,  I 
propose  to  sketch 

THE  GODLY  MAN. 

The  text  reads  thus  ; 

"  He  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of 
water,  that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season  ;  his 
leaf  also  shall  not  wither." 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yohu  C/ianibers,  D.  D.         4  5 

These  words  of  the  Psahnist,  written  of  tlie  oodly 
man  three  thousand  years  ao^o,  are  as  true  to-day  as 
they  were  true  then.  They  hken  the  godly  man  to  a 
tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water;  and,  in  the  image, 
as  eleoant  as  it  is  susfcrestive,  they  summon  us  to  con- 
ceive  the  godly  man  as  he  is  in  reality.  We  consider 
a  moment  the  several  points  involved  in  the  text. 

I.  We  observe  that,  according  to  the  Psalmist,  the 
godly  man,  or  the  man  resembling  God  in  sentiment 
and  sympathy  is  a  subject  of  especial  Divine  favor. 

We  gather  this  from  the  word  planted.  We  know 
that  it  is  the  Divine  hand  alone  which,  taking  a  man 
from  the  wild,  dark  woods  of  unsanctified  nature, 
plants  him,  with  pains-taking  care,  in  the  garden  of 
grace.  God's  people  are  His,  not  because  they  first 
chose  Him,  but  because  His  sovereign,  eternal,  elect- 
ing love  fastened  on  them.  An  apostle  writes,  "We 
love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us."  The  Greater 
than  an  apostle  says,  "Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  l)ut  I 
have  chosen  you  and  ordained  you  that  ye  should  go 
and  bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  re- 
main." Hence,  God's  saints  of  all  ages  are  described 
in  Scripture  as  "Trees  of  righteousness,  the  planting 
of  the  Lord,  that  He  might  be  glorified."  Hence, 
also,  ever)-  true;  child  of  God  gives  utterance  to  ex- 
])erit;nce  in  the  glad  song: 


4G  Soni-  Ccnknnial  ^Innivcrsary  of  the 

Why  was  I  made  to  hear  Thy  voice, 
And  enter  while  there's  room, 

When  thousands  make  a  wretched  choice, 
And  rather  starve  than  come  ? 

'Twas  the  same  love  that  spread  the  feast 
Which  sweetly  forced  me  in, 

Else  I  had  still  refused  to  taste. 
And  perished  in  my  sin. 


We  do  not  err,  then,  my  friends,  in  concluding 
from  the  word  planted  that  the  godly  man  is  a  subject 
of  especial  Divine  favor.  The  word  is  eloquent  of 
discriminating  grace,  electing  love,  planning  wisdom, 
achieving  power,  everything,  indeed,  which  belongs 
to  God's  purpose  of  salvation. 

But,  as  expressive  of  favor  as  is  the  word  planted, 
that  same  word  becomes  far  more  expressive  when 
its  connection  in  the  text  is  considered.  We  are 
to  conceive  of  the  godly  man,  not  only  as  planted  but 
as  planted  by  the  rivers  of  zvater.  That  is,  a  favored 
tree  whose  roots  drink  of  unfailing  springs.  Growing 
large  and  strong,  sending  out,  on  every  side,  great 
branchy  arms  which  encircle  its  trunk  like  guards 
about  the  person  of  a  king,  the  well-watered  tree  is 
the  fitting  and  fair  symbol  of  prosperous  fortune. 

And,  according  to  the  text,  such  tree  is  the  godly 
man.     Planted  by  Jehovah's  hand  in  the  best  position 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  Jolin  CJiaiubers,  D.  D.         47 

for  spiritual  development,  the  godly  man  is  possessed 
of  inexhaustible  resources.  He  draws  the  material 
of  his  growth  and  strength,  not  from  some  tiny 
streamlet  which  summer  heats  may  dry  or  human 
industries  divert,  but  trom  "  rivers  of  water,"  from 
streams  vast  as  the  soul's  capacities  and,  in  their 
flowing,  endless  as  God's  being. 

Do  we  ask  what  these  rivers  are  ?  We  find  the 
answer  to  be  this  :  The  manifold  means  and  ao^encies 
of  grace.  What  we  know  as  prayer,  meditation,  the 
reading  and  preaching  of  the  Word,  the  table  of  the 
Lord,  Christian  fellowship,  active  labor  for  Christ,  and 
whatever  else  may  transmit  to  the  soul  the  Divine 
influences  of  the  ever-loving,  infinitely  gracious  Spirit, 
are  but  so  many  channels  along  which  flowunwasting 
streams  of  life  and  blessing.  He  who,  planted  by 
these  rivers  of  water,  draws  from  them  his  supplies, 
shall,  indeed,  be  "  fat  and  flourishino;."  His  erowth 
shall  be  eternal ;  his  strength  immortal ;  his  fruit, 
what  befits  the  skies;  his  beauty,  what  becomes  an 
angel ;  his  destiny,  that  of  a  favored  Son  of  God. 
For  thus  we  read;  "The  righteous  shall  flourish  like 
the  palm  tree  ;  he  shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon. 
Those  that  be  planted  in  the  House  of  the  Lord  shall 
flourish  in  the  Courts  of  our  God.  They  shall  still 
bring  fordi  fruit  in  old  age;  they  shall  be  fat  and 
flourishing." — P;,alm  xcii,  12-14. 


48  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

Yes,  my  friends,  the  godly  man  is  a  subject  of 
especial  Divine  favor.  How  blessed  his  estate ! 
Planted  by  the  rivers  of  water,  he  shall  never  be 
dwarfed  by  drought,  never  be  uprooted  by  storm, 
never  be  cast  down  by  the  axe  of  justice,  never  be 
scathed  by  the  red  lightnings  of  wrath,  never  be 
given  over  to  blight  and  barrenness  ;  but,  advancing 
forever  in  growth  and  greenness,  revealing  forever 
the  virtue  and  vigor  of  a  Divine  life,  he  shall,  like 
some  majestic,  leaf-crowned  palm,  be  sunned  forever 
by  God's  srniJe,  and  be  fanned  forever  by  God's 
breath. 

II.  But,  going  on,  we  observe  next,  that, 
according  to  the  Psalmist,  the  godly  man  is  an 
unselfish  benefactor  of  the  world. 

We  gather  this  from  the  friiitfulncss  ascribed  by 
the  text  to  the  planted  tree  :  "He  shall  be  like  a  tree 
that  brincreth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season."  Nor  is  it 
surely,  a  slight  benefaction  which  is  imaged  by  a  tree's 
unselfish  and  continuous  fruitfulness.  He  who  has 
in  his  garden  a  noble  tree,  which,  shading  him  and 
his  from  noontide  beams,  yields  up  without  stint,  and 
year  by  year,  its  fruit  for  the  refreshment  of  himself, 
his  family  and  friends,  is  quite  unable  to  estimate,  by 
the  price  of  silver,  that  tree's  unselfish  gifts.  And 
yet  the  value  of  a  fruitbearing  tree  is  comparable,  in 
no  respect,   to  that  of  the  godly  man.     What  is  the 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.D.         49 

godly  man  but  God's  representative  on  earth,  a 
reflection  more  or  less  bright  of  the  knowledge, 
wisdom,  truth,  goodness,  holiness,  justice  of  the  ever- 
lasting Father?  Every  such  man  must  be  a  fruit- 
bearer.  He  can  no  more  fail  to  bring  forth  the  fruits 
of  ricrhteousness  than  a  tree  can  fail  to  brinof  forth 
the  fruits  proper  to  its  kind.  The  law  of  his  being, 
as  the  law  of  a  tree's  beinor  Jg  ^q  bear  fruit.  The 
end  of  his  life,  as  the  end  of  a  tree's  life,  is  to  contribute 
substantially  to  the  enjoyment  and  strength  and  well- 
beino-  of  the  world.  Nor  can  we  be  in  doubt  as  to 
the  actual  fruit  which  the  godly  man  bears,  or  as  to 
its  priceless  value.  In  illustration  of  its  kind  and 
worth  let  me  advert  to  some  examples. 

Few  of  us  are  unacquainted  with  the  name  of 
Philip  Doddridge,  the  writer  of  an  admirable  book 
entitled,  "  The  Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion  in  the 
Soul,"  and  an  undeniably  godly  man  of  England, 
something  more  than  a  century  ago.  In  writing  his 
little  book,  he  bore  fruit,  the  preciousness  of  which 
the  infinite  intelligence  of  God  alone  can  fully  com- 
prehend. That  one  volume  has  already  led  to  Jesus, 
the  Soul's  Saviour  and  Sovereign,  many  thousands  of 
immortal  men  and  women  and  will  lead  many 
thousands  more.  As  specimens  of  the  intelligent, 
earnest,  efficient  piety  which  it  is  skilfully  adapted  to 
form    and    mature,    I     need    but     refer    to    William 


50  Semi- Ceritennial  Anniversary  of  tJie 

Wilberforce  and  Dr.  Stonehouse,  both  of  whom  were 
indebted  to  Doddridge's  book  for  their  rehgious 
impressions  and  impulses. 

Wilham  Wilberforce  !  What  histories  cluster  about 
the  name !  first,  as  that  of  the  gay,  thoughtless, 
frivolous  man  of  fashion  ;  next,  as  that  of  the  cheerful, 
conscientious,  consistent  Christian  ;  next,  as  that  of 
the  clear,  strong,  powerful  writer  on  practical 
religion  ;  and  next,  as  that  of  the  trusted,  fearless, 
honest  leader  of  British  statesmen  in  the  halls  of 
Parliament.  What  Wilberforce  did  for  the  world  is 
told  in  this  brief  sentence :  he  was  the  instrument  in 
converting  to  the  faith  of  Christ  two  remarkable  men, 
Lecrh  Richmond  and  Thomas  Chalmers — the  one  the 
ornament  of  the  English  pulpit,  the  other,  of  the 
Scottish ;  and  he  was  the  eloquent  and  effective 
champion  of  West  India  Emancipation. 

But,  as  efficient  for  good  as  was  William  Wilber- 
force, not  less  efficient,  in  a  different  sphere,  was  Dr. 
Stonehouse.  A  physician  of  celebrity  and  an  avowed 
infidel,  he  relinquished,  upon  reading  Doddridge's 
book,  his  scepticism  and  his  profession.  Becoming  a 
sincere  believer  in  Christ,  he  entered  the  ministry 
and  was  distinguished  for  eloquence  in  proclaiming 
the  Gospel  and  for  success  in  winning  souls.  The 
honored  associate  of  Doddridge,  Watts,  Whitfield, 
the  Wesley's,  he  is  memorable  as  the  spiritual  father, 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yohn  Chambers,  D.D.        51 

pastor  and  friend  of  Hannah  More,  whose  volu- 
minous writings  have  aided  greatly  in  the  illustrations 
of  Chrisdanity  and  in  the  elevation  of  women. 

Now,  in  the  light  of  such  facts,  who  can  mistake 
the  kind  of  fruit  borne  by  the  godly  man  or  doubt  its 
value?  Around  Doddridge,  as  around  some  stately 
tree,  clusters  whatever  is  noble  in  learning,  whatever 
is  elevating  in  literature,  whatever  is  sanctifying  in 
religion,  whatever  is  high  in  truth,  whatever  is  holy 
in  love,  whatever  is  fitted  to  honor  God  and  bless 
man.  Around  Doddridge,  as  around  some  goodly, 
fruit-bearing  tree,  gather  those  majestic  trees  of 
righteousness  which  the  world  knows  as  Willberforce, 
Stonehouse,  Legh  Richmond,  Dr.  Chalmers  and 
Hannah  More,  and  which,  upon  the  world,  for  many, 
many  years,  have  been  conferring,  in  unselfish  large- 
ness, the  noblest  benefactions. 

But,  as  we  well  know,  Doddridge,  the  godly  man, 
is  simply  the  representative  of  numerous  godly  men, 
each  bearing  his  fruit  in  his  season  and  each  blessing 
the  world  from  aire  to  ao-e.  We  cannot  call  over  a 
few  of  the  names  on  the  long  roll  of  illustrious,  godly 
men,  without  a  sense  of  the  vastness  and  the  value 
of  their  unselfish  labors  for  the  world.  We  mention 
David  Nasmith,  a  clerk  in  Glasgow,  the  founder  of 
City  Missions  and  Monthly  Tract  Distribution  in 
Europe  and  America  ;  John  Pounds,  the  cobbler,  the 


52  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

founder  of  Ragged  Schools ;  Robert  Raikes,  the 
printer,  the  founder  of  Sunday  Schools ;  John 
Howard,  the  philanthropist,  upon  whose  grave  in 
Russia,  is  the  just  inscription,  "  He  lived  for  others  ;" 
John  Calvin,  the  theologian,  the  fearless  advocate  of 
God's  free  and  sovereign  grace  ;  Jonathan  Edwards, 
the  writer  and  preacher,  the  leader  in  efforts  to 
promote  revivals ;  Samuel  J.  Mills,  the  missionary, 
the  originator  of  the  American  Board  of  Missions,  the 
American  Bible  Society,  and  the  American  Coloniza- 
tion Society ;  we  mention,  I  say,  these  names  and,  as 
we  mention  them,  we  see  starting  before  us  so  many 
fruit  bearing  trees  laden  with  fruits  of  priceless  worth 
and  showering  their  stores  upon  the  world  with  an 
amazing  unselfishness. 

III.  But  going  on,  we  observe  again  that,  according 
to  the  text,  the  godly  man  is  an  object  of  attractive 
beauty. 

We  gather  this  from  the  un withering  leaf  of  the 
planted  and  watered  tree.  "  His  leaf,"  we  read,  "  shall 
not  wither."  Foremost,  perhaps,  of  all  the  beautiful 
things  of  earth  is  a  branchy  evergreen  in  that  Eastern 
Land  where  the  Psalmist  dwelt.  Those  of  us  who 
have  read  John  Ruskin  know"  how  eloquent  he  grows 
when  descanting  on  the  beauty  of  the  olive  tree ; 
that  tree  which  our  Lord  so  loved  and  which,  most 
likely,  was  in  the   Psalmist's  thought  when  he   wrote 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  "JoIul  Chambers,  D.  D.  53 

the  text.  As  John  Ruskin  paints  the  hoary  dim- 
ness of  the  ohve  tree's  dehcate  fohage,  subdued 
and  faint  of  hue  as  if  the  ashes  of  the  Gethsemane 
agony  had  been  cast  upon  it  forever,  and  the  gnarled 
writings  of  its  intricate  branches,  and  the  pointed  fret- 
work of  its  Ho^ht  and  narrow  leaves  inlaid  on  the  blue 
field  of  the  sky,  and  the  small,  rosy  white  stars  of  its 
spring-blossoming,  and  the  beads  of  sable  fruit  scat- 
tered by  autumn  along  its  topmost  boughs,  and  more 
than  all,  the  softness  of  the  mantle,  silver-gray,  and 
tender  like  the  down  on  a  bird's  breast,  with  which, 
far  away,  it  veils  the  undulation  of  the  mountains. 
We  have  before  us  an  object  of  extraordinary  beauty 
and  the  appropriate  image  of  the  godly  man.  For 
what  rare  and  radiant  beauty  is  the  beauty  of  the  godly 
man.  It  is  the  beauty  of  a  brow  on  which  God  has 
set  the  stamp  of  truth.  It  is  the  beauty  of  an  eye  in 
which  bright  honor  beams.  It  is  the  beauty  of  a  look 
and  bearing  by  which  is  expressed  everything  that 
comports  with  freedom,  frankness,  manliness,  veracity, 
courage,  nobleness,  generosity,  goodness.  It  is  the 
beauty  of  the  Divine  image  traced  on  the  soul  by 
God's  spirit,  shining  through  conduct  as  an  exquisite 
picture  shines  through  a  transparency  and  bringing 
before  the  eye  of  the  world  a  vision  of  surpassing 
loveliness. 

But  I  must  pause  in  the  exposition  of  the  text.     I 


54  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

have  been  illustrating  briefly,  at  this  service,  the 
Psalmist's  conception  of  the  godly  man.  I  have  been 
showing  that  the  godly  man  is  a  subject  of  especial 
Divine  favor,  an  unselfish  benefactor  of  the  world,  and 
an  object  of  attractive  beauty.  And  now,  my  friends, 
in  the  light  of  our  theme,  we  cannot  fail  to  see  that 
whatever  is  godly  is  greatly  honored,  greatly  privi- 
leged, and  greatly  blessed. 

We  certainly  see  that  whoever  is  godly  is  greatly 
honored.  No  slight  honor  is  it,  surely,  when  God 
Himself  takes  the  human  soul  and  plants  it  where  it 
shal  grow  into  fitness  for  transplanting  into  the  Para- 
dise on  hicrh. 

We  certainly  see,  too,  that  whoever  is  godly  is 
greatly  privileged.  No  slight  privilege  is  it,  surely, 
when  God  concerns  Himself  with  the  making  one  the 
bearer  of  precious  fruit  and  with  the  installing  one 
into  the  lofty  seat  of  the  world's  benefactor  through- 
out all  time. 

We  certainly  see,  moreover,  that  whoever  is  godly 
is  greatly  blessed.  No  slight  blessing  is  it,  surely, 
when  God  busies  Himself  in  the  work  of  investing 
one  with  a  beauty  that  shall  be  as  divine  as  His  own 
imaofe  and  as  lastino-  as  the  soul. 

How  great,  then,  and  how  impulsive  the  motives 
that  urge  us  to  be  godly.  With  godliness  are  in- 
separably conjoined  honor  and  privilege  and  blessing. 


Pastorale  of  Rev.  JoJui  CJianibers,  D.  D.         55 

With  godliness  is  indissolubly  linked  all  that  is 
dignified  in  position,  and  all  that  is  useful  in  life,  and 
all  that  is  glorious  in  destiny. 

Dear,  dear  friends,  let  us  strive  to  be  godly.  Do 
any  of  us  ask  how  ?  I  answer,  by  taking  into  the 
soul  God's  spirit  and  word  ;  by  carrying  into  the  life 
the  unselfish  activities  of  God's  Son,  and  by  breaking 
into  look  and  tone  and  speech  the  gentleness  and 
purity  and  love  of  God's  self.  God's  spirit  and  word 
taken  into  the  soul  are  the  sunshine  and  shower  by 
which  the  soul  grows.  God's  Son,  in  forming  the  life, 
secures  all  the  energy  and  resolve  and  achievement  of 
noble  conduct.  God's  self  shinincr  through  the  man 
makes  visible  all  the  beauty  and  all  the  glory  of  right 
character.  And  thus,  between  the  infinite  God  and 
our  finite  souls,  an  intimate  and  an  eternal  union  will 
be  consummated.  God's  sentiments  will  become 
ours.  God's  sympathies  will  become  ours.  God's 
truth  and  purity  and  love  and  goodness  will 
become  ours,  just  as  the  sunlight  becomes  a  con- 
stituent element  of  the  flower,  or  as  the  sap  becomes 
a  component  part  of  the  fruit.  How  wonderful  and 
how  glorious,  my  friends,  is  this  doctrine  of  God's  real 
union  with  the  human  soul !  And  how  honored  and 
privileged  and  blessed,  beyond  all  expression  is  that 
human  soul  between  whom  and  God  this  union 
subsists  ! 


56  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

O  happy  soul  that  lives  on  high, 

While  men  lie  groveling  here  ! 
His  hopes  are  fixed  above  the  sky, 

And  faith  forbids  his  fear. 

His  conscience  knows  no  seeret  stings ; 

While  peace  and  joy  combine 
To  form  a  life  whose  holy  springs 

Are  hidden  and  divine. 

Now,  as  thus  I  have  sketched  the  godly  man,  his 
favored  position,  his  abundant  fruitfuhiess,  his  attrac- 
tive beauty,  his  honor,  his  privilege,  his  blessing,  we 
all  have  had  in  mind  the  beloved  pastor  of  this  church, 
who,  for  fifty  years,  in  this  city  and  in  this  congrega- 
gation,  has  been  such  a  man.  A  better  illustration  of 
my  text  can  nowhere  be  found  than  that,  my  friends, 
which  your  pastor  supplies.  Planted  in  the  garden  of 
God's  grace,  he  has  been  firmly  planted  for  half  a 
century  in  the  affection  of  his  people,  in  the  regard  of 
his  brethren,  and  in  the  esteem  of  a  great  city's 
population.  He  has  impressed  all  who  have  ever 
known  him  with  the  reality  of  his  godliness.  As  a 
godly  man,  he  has  been  as  stable  as  the  planted  tree, 
as  fruitful  as  the  watered  tree,  and  as  beautiful  as  the 
unwithering  tree.  An  eloquent  preacher,  a  faithful 
pastor,  a  tried  friend,  he  has  been  instrumental  in 
rousino-  and  leadinor  and  savino-  a  sfreat  multitude  of 
souls.     He  has   not  been   a   voluminous  writer  like 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJin  CJianibcrs,  D.  D.         Wi 

Dr.  Doddridge,  but  he  has  been  an  indefatigal)le 
worker  like  Dr.  Stonehouse.  A  numerous  church, 
gathered  by  his  unselfish  toil,  surround  him  to-day  ; 
but,  a  far  more  numerous  church,  guided  l)y  his 
unflagging  zeal  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  await  him  on 
the  other  shore.  The  precious  fruit  of  his  ministry 
and  the  manifold  influences  of  his  life  can  never  be 
known  on  earth.  Honored  of  God  and  privileged 
above  most  men,  and  blessed  in  his  work  as  few  ever 
are,  he  stands  before  us,  this  afternoon,  a  branchy, 
fruitful,  attractive  tree  of  righteousness.  May  his 
fruitfulness  long  abide  and  his  leaf  be  long  unwither- 
ing.  But  when  it  shall  please  God  to  remove  him 
from  the  church  below  to  the  church  above,  then 
will  the  honor  and  privilege  and  blessing  of  to-day  be 
as  nothing  to  the  honor  and  privilege  and  blessing  of 
eternity ;  for,  in  the  Paradise  of  God,  he  shall  be 
planted  by  the  river  of  life,  and  his  leaf  shall  be 
unwitherinff  forever. 


& 


On  Sabbath  evening,  Rev.  Dr.  Blackwood 
delivered  an  eloquent  discourse  to  quite  a  large 
audience.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks  he  paid  quite 
a  glowing  tribute  to  the  pastoral  services  of  Dr. 
Chambers.  To  have  presented  this  sermon  in  full, 
would  have  exceeded  the  limits  set  for  this  volume, 
and  it  is  therefore  unavoidably  omitted. 


58  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

MONDAY  EVENING,  MAY   lo,  1875, 

Had  been  set  apart  to  give  an  opportunity  to  the 
people  to  hear  as  many  pastors,  who  had  formerly 
been  members  of  the  church,  as  could  be  conveniently 
heard. 

During  the  course  of  Dr.  Chambers'  long  ministry, 
quite  a  number  of  young  men,  under  his  encourage- 
ment, came  forth  from  the  congregation  and  devoted 
themselves  to  preaching  the  Gospel.  As  many  of 
these  as  could  be  reached,  were  invited  to  attend. 
Many  responded  by  their  presence,  others  sent  kind 
and  reo^retful  letters,  some  of  which  were  read  on  this 
evening,  and  one  very  interesting  one  from  Rev. 
Charles  Brown  will  be  found  in  the  appendix. 
Rev.  Dr.  Levy,  now  pastor  of  the  Berean  Baptist 
church,  West  Philadelphia,  Rev.  Joseph  J.  Baker, 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Navesink,  N.  J.,  Rev. 
Wm.  J.  Paxson,  of  the  Union  M.  E.  church  on 
Fourth  street,  in  Philadelphia,  and  Rev.  John  C. 
Bliss,  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Plainfield,  New 
Jersey,  attended,  and  delivered  addresses  on  this 
(Monday)  evening. 

The  exercises  were  presided  over  by  Dr.  Levy, 
who  delivered  the  following  beautiful  and  touching 
address  : 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJin  Chambers,  D.  D.  59 

The  fiftieth  year  was  to  Israel  of  old  a  year  of 
peculiar  interest  and  importance.  It  had  its  indi- 
vidual, sOoial,  and  national  benefits.  The  silver 
trumpet  sent  out  the  g-Jad  tidings  that  the  auspicious 
clay  had  come,  and  the  whole  land  was  at  once  filled 
with  joy  and  gladness. 

So  this  is,  emphatically,  a  jubilee  year  to  this 
church,  and  through  all  this  conorreo^ation,  through  all 
the  families  connected  with  this  church,  and  even 
beyond,  to  other  churches,  the  trumpet  of  your  ju- 
bilee has  been  heard,  and  thronging  multitudes  have 
come  to  give  expression  to  their  gratitude  to  God  for 
His  distinguished  favor  to  this  people,  and  to  honor, 
as  best  they  may,  this  man  of  God,  who,  during  these 
fifty  years,  has  maintained  his  position  here  as  a  true 
and  faithful  minister  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  a  great  honor  to  be  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
Not  made  such  by  man,  with  pomp  and  ceremony, 
but  called  of  God,  and  endowed  with  spiritual  gifts. 
The  highest  office  that  can  be  conferred  upon  man  is 
the  pastoral  office.  For  dignity,  for  responsibility, 
for  influence  and  for  usefulness,  it  towers  above  every 
other  office  or  position  in  the  world. 

"It  is  not  a  cause  of  small  import, 
The  pastor's  care  demands: 
But  what  might  fill  an  angel's  heart, 
And  fill  a  Saviour's  hands." 


GO  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

What  adorable  wisdom  is  displayed  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  this  office  !  Where  could  we  find  a  sub- 
stitute for  it?  How  else,  without  a  constant  miracle, 
could  the  church  be  preserved  from  extinction,  and 
the  believer  from  worldliness  and  apostasy  ? 

I  think  it  is  Dr.  Owen  who  says,  that  "  if  there  were 
to  be  a  failure  in  providing  pastors,  the  church  would 
fail  in  her  mission."  There  is  a  depth  of  wisdom  in 
this  arrangement  which  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  over- 
estimate. Experience  teaches  us  that  Christians,  de- 
prived of  pastoral  instruction  and  supervision,  do  not 
thrive,  and  that  churches  thus  destitute  never  prosper. 
Even  where  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  continued, 
that  church  will  never  be  strong  and  useful,  which  has 
no  tender  shepherd  to  watch  for  the  souls  of  the 
people,  and  by  all  the  expedients  and  assiduities  of 
pastoral  vigilance  and  love,  train  them  up  for  heaven. 
The  pastor  is  like  a  nurse  who  nourishes  the  babe  in 
its  weakness.  He  Is  like  a  messenger  employed  by 
a  tender  father,  to  guide  a  distant  child  to  his  home, 
and  to  instruct,  protect  and  comfort  him  on  the  way. 
He  is  like  Moses,  an  appointed  leader,  to  conduct 
the  people  of  God  through  the  wilderness  to  the 
heavenly  Canaan. 

If  this  be  a  correct  view  of  the  pastoral  office,  and 
we  think  it  is,  it  is  very  important  that  every  church 
shoulci  not  only  obtain  a  suitable  pastor,  but  that  they 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yohn  CJi ambers,  D.  D.  Gl 

should  esteem  him  very  higlily  for  his  work's  sake,  and 
endeavor  to  make  his  settlement  permanent  and  use- 
ful. Ministers  are  generally  settled  with  too  little 
consideration  and  care.  They  are  called  in  seasons 
of  emergency,  and  are  not  expected  to  remain  any 
length  of  time.  Or  the  people  are  captivated  with  a 
glittering  sermon  or  two,  and  having  no  knowledge  of 
their  pastoral  ability,  the  novelty  soon  passes  away, 
and  discontent  and  weariness  follow.  But  it  is  not 
always  the  fault  of  the  people.  Ministers  are  as 
much  to  blame  in  this  matter  as  their  cono-reofations. 
Often  they  do  not  settle  with  the  intention  of  staying 
any  longer  than  they  can  find  a  better  field.  Instead 
of  identifying  their  own  interests  with  their  people, 
they  are  all  the  while  watching  for  some  pastor  to  die 
or  to  resign  that  they  may  jump  into  his  nest.  Does 
a  pulpit  become  vacant  ?  They  seek  at  once  an  intro- 
duction, and  without  the  knowledge  of  their  own 
flock,  you  find  them  there  candidating.  Such  pastors 
are  not  worthy  of  any  position  in  the  church.  Their 
fate  should  be  that  of  the  coquettish  woman,  who  solicits 
the  attention  of  many  and  marries  none.  A  pastor, 
in  accepting  the  charge  of  a  church,  ought  to  consider 
it  as  his  duty  remain  its  spiritual  guide  until  God,  by 
a  manifest  indication  of  His  will,  should  direct  him  to 
remove.  The  church  ought  to  settle  a  minister  on 
the  same  principle. 


62  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

Brethren,  members  of  the  Chambers  Presbyterian 
church,  it  is  to  your  honor  that  you  have  preserved  this 
pastoral  relation  unbroken  for  fifty  years.  Amidst  all 
the  restlessness  and  change  so  prevalent  in  these 
days,  you  have  been  more  than  satisfied.  You  have 
coveted  no  other  ministry,  and  you  have  allowed  no 
other  people  to  rob  you  of  your  own  chosen  shep- 
herd. From  the  beginning  until  now,  unfailing  con- 
fidence, tender  sympathy  and  ardent  love,  have  made 
this  union  enduring  and  fruitful  of  everything  sweet 
and  precious. 

And  the  cords  which  bind  ///;;/  to  you  are  not  stronger 
or  more  loving  than  those  which  bind  yon  to  him.  He 
has  never  encourao-ed  for  a  moment  the  thought  of 
leaving  you  for  another  field.  How  many  churches 
would  have  been  olad  to  have  secured  his  services! 
But  to  all  appeals  he  could  answer  with  the  vShu- 
namite,  "I  dwell  among  my  own  people."  How  often 
have  I  heard  him  say  that  nothing  but  death  should 
ever  separate  him  from  the  people  of  his  charge  ;  that 
you  were  his  first  and  only  love,  and  that  though  you 
could  give  him  only  a  crust  of  bread  and  a  cup  of  cold 
water,  he  would  continue  to  be  your  pastor.  And 
through  all  the  changes  of  life,  in  prosperity  and  ad- 
versity, in  youth  and  in  old  age,  here  he  has  stood  a 
true  and  faithful  shepherd  of  the  flock  over  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  has  made  him  overseer.     Fifty  years  he 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJin  Chambers,  D.  D.  Go 

has  been  the  Bishop  of  this  church.  For  fifty  years 
his  feet  have  been  shod  with  the  preparation  of  the 
Gospel  of  Peace,  and  his  path  has  been  as  a  shining 
hght  which  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect 
day.  Those  fifty  years  !  What  a  troop  of  shadows 
would  assemble  themselves  if  all  those  who  sat  under 
our  pastor's  ministry  and  have  passed  away  to  the 
spirit  world,  could  at  this  moment  re-appear  !  Fifty 
years  !  It  is  a  time  for  review,  for  memory  and  for 
feeling.  Whether  it  brings  joy  or  sadness,  smiles  or 
tears,  to-night  memory  must  recall  the  past. 

For  more  than  forty  of  those  fifty  years,  I  have 
been  more  or  less  familiar  and  identified  with  the 
history  of  this  church.  W'hen  you  worshiped  in  the 
old  church  on  Thirteenth  street,  my  mother  took  me 
by  the  hand,  and  led  me  to  the  ministry  of  this 
revered  servant  of  Christ.  He  was  then  preaching 
in  all  the  fiery  zeal  of  his  early  manhood,  and  great 
crowds  were  attracted  by  his  graceful  oratory  and 
irresistible  pathos.  I  at  once  became  a  scholar  in 
the  Sunday  School,  which  was  held,  for  want  of 
suitable  accommodations,  in  a  room  on  the  corner  of 
Locust  and  Thirteenth  streets.  Teachers  and 
scholars  were  accustomed  to  walk  in  a  body  from  the 
school  room  to  the  church.  Such  a  procession  every 
Sunday  morning  and  afternoon  would  naturally 
attract   the  attention  of   persons  on    the  street,  and 


64  ScDii- Centennial  Aniiivo^saiy  of  the 

many  were  known  to  have  followed  with  wondering 
curiosity  to  the  church,  where  they  heard  of  Jesus 
and  His  salvation,  and  were  converted  to  God. 

I  remember  well,  the  digging  of  the  foundation  for 
this  church.  The  first  spadeful  of  earth  was  cast  up 
by  the  pastor  after  a  fervent  prayer,  his  locks 
streaming  in  the  early  morning  wind. 

It  was  humorously  said  at  the  time,  that,  like  all 
Irishmen,  "  Mr.  Chambers  knew  how  to  handle  the 
spade,"  Then  came  the  corner  stone,  and  then  the 
dedication,  which  were  occasions  of  great  public 
interest,  from  the  fact  that  Broad  street  was  then 
almost  the  western  boundary  of  the  city.  Dr. 
Duncan  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon.  All  that 
I  remember  of  that  sermon  is  its  length.  It  was  half- 
past  one  o'clock  before  it  was  ended. 

From  the  very  beginning,  God's  seal  of  approval 
was  stamped  upon  Dr.  Chambers'  ministry ;  but  the 
glory  of  the  latter  house  has  exceeded  the  glory  of 
the  former  one.  How  awfully  solemn  has  this  place 
been  at  times  !  What  seasons  of  revival!  What  mul- 
titudes have  here  been  brought  to  repentance  towards 
God  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ !  During  these 
"times  of  refreshing,"  many  members  of  my  family 
were  converted  and  saved,  and  my  own  young  and 
unreofenerate  heart  was  broken  and  healed.  No 
extra  or  special  meetings,  I  believe,  were  ever  held, 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  Jo Jm  Chambers,  D.  D.  65 

but  the  regular  services  have  always  been  the  occa- 
sions of  converting  power. 

The  untiring-  industry,  the  earnest  manner,  and  the 
burning  eloquence  of  the  pastor  were  magnetic,  and 
it  seemed  at  times  that  no  one  could  continue 
long  a  member  of  this  church  without  finding  some- 
thing to  do.  The  aged  men,  Mitchel,  Burtis,  Luther, 
Yard,  Arrison  and  others,  seemed  fired  with  more 
than  youthful  ardor,  while  the  young  were  filled  with 
a  holy  enthusiasm.  Sunday  was  our  field  day.  At 
six  in  the  morning  we  had  a  prayer  meeting ;  at  nine, 
we  were  in  the  Sunday  School ;  at  half-past  ten, 
preaching ;  at  one,  rehearsal  in  music,  led  by  Professor 
Alden,  and  afterwards  by  Mr.  Newland;  at  two,  in 
the  Sunday  School  again ;  at  half-past  three,  preach- 
ing;   and  at  half-past  seven,  prayer  and  conference 


meetmg. 


All  this  work  was  made  easy  by  the  inspiration  of 
our  pastor.  In  every  enterprise  he  was  our  leader. 
I  have  known  him  to  speak  every  night  in  the  week, 
and  sometimes  more  than  once  the  same  evening,  in 
the  cause  of  temperance.  From  old  Southwark  to 
old  Kensington,  from  the  Delaware  to  the  Schuylkill, 
his  voice  like  a  trumpet  was  heard  denouncing  the 
traffic  in  liquor.  We  caught  his  spirit,  and  the  first 
Youth's  Temperance  Society  in  Philadelphia,  was 
organized  by  the  young  men  of  this  church.      This 


66  Scjni-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

Society,  I  understand,  continues  its  organization  and 
its  usefulness.  * 

Dr.  Chambers  has  always  been  the  counsellor  and 
friend  of  young-  men.  What  pastor  ever  had  the 
power  of  drawing  around  him,  to  the  same  extent, 
the  young  men  of  our  city?  Eternity  alone  will  dis- 
close the  army  of  young  men  who  have  lighted 
their  torches  at  this  altar,  and  who  have  gone  forth 
to  enlighten  and  save  a  clying  world. 

Many  of  these  young  men  have  entered  other 
denominations  ;  but  our  pastor  never  seemed  other- 
wise than  glad  that  they  had  found  fields  of  useful- 
ness in  other  directions.  His  only  concern  seemed 
to  be  that  they  might  be  true  men,  useful  men,  faithful 
to  God  and  to  duty.  And  here,  I  can  not  refrain 
from  an  allusion  to  my  own  change  of  church  rela- 
tions, as  illustrative  of  his  generosity.  When  I  felt 
called  upon  to  leave  this  home  of  my  youth  and  unite 
with  another  people  who  bear  a  different  name,  I 
called  on  him  to  tell  him  of  my  purpose.  And  while 
he  could  not  accept  of  my  views,  I  shall  never  forget 
with  what  a  largeness  of  heart  he  took  my  hand  in 
both  of  his,  and  bade  me  go  and  preach  the  everlast- 
ing Gospel  to  perishing  men.  And  now,  after  a  pas- 
torate of  thirty  years,  on  which  has  ever  rested  the 

*  The  Temperance  Society  referred  to  celeljrateJ  its  Thirty-Fifth  Anniversary 
February  22d,  1875. 


Pastoi-atc  of  Rev.  Jo  Jin  CJiainbers,  D.  D.         07 

blessing-  of  God,  I  wish  here  to  declare  diat,  under 
God,  I  owe  all  to  Dr.  Chambers.  He  led  me  to 
church  ;  he  received  me  into  this  church  at  tlie  age  of 
13  ;  he  encouraged  me  to  use  my  voice  in  the  prayer 
meeting  ;  he  urged  me  to  study  for  the  ministry, 
sendinpf  me  to  the  first  classical  school  I  ever  attended, 
paying  the  charges  from  his  own  means.  My  heart 
would  be  dead  to  all  gratitude  if  I  failed  to  acknow- 
ledge, on  this  jubilee  occasion,  my  obligation  to  this 
man  of  God  whom  we  all  delight  to  honor.  God  bless 
you,  my  pastor  and  my  friend !  For  all  that  you 
have  been  to  me  and  to  mine  ;  for  your  kindness  to 
my  venerated  and  glorified  father,  and  to  my  precious 
mother,  who  was  converted  in  the  old  sanctuary,  and 
who  has  been  nearly  all  through  these  fifty  years  of 
your  ministry  ripening  for  heaven,  and  is  only  waiting 
now,  patiendy  and  sweedy,  for  the  Master's  coming  ; 
for  your  tender  solicitude  and  faithful  instructions  to 
other  members  of  my  family,  and  especially  to  the  dear- 
est and  sweetest  one  of  earth,  who  once  sang  in  yonder 
choir,  but  now  sincrs  in  the  choir  above  ;  and  for  all  that 
you  have  been  to  me,  from  my  early  youth  to  the  present 
hour,  receive,,  venerable  and  beloved  sir,  my  heartfelt 
thanks.  And  not  mine  only,  but  the  gratitude,  the 
respect  and  the  love  of  this  great  company  of  God's 
children  for  whom  you  have  so  faithfully  toiled,  and 
whom    God   has    made    the    seals  of  your  ministry. 


08  Scmi-Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

These  flowers,  that  loving  hands  have  placed  on  this 
pulpit,  will  fade,  and  this  laurel  will  perish,  but  our 
love  for  you  will  never,  never  fade  or  die.  "The 
righteous  shall  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance, 
and  they  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of 
the  firmament;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  right- 
eousness as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 

After  the  address  of  Dr.  Levy,  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Baker, 
of  Navesink  (New  Jersey)  Baptist  church,  who  had 
been  identified  with  the  church  in  his  earlier  days, 
.was  introduced. 

He  stated  that  he  first  joined  the  church  under 
Dr.  Chambers,  in  January,  1829.  He  referred  to 
the  intense  activity  which  characterized  the  young- 
men  of  the  church  at  the  time  he  was  with  them. 
Among  those  to  whom  he  referred  were  Brothers 
John  Summers,  Burnham,  Hunterson  and  Town,  all 
of  whom  became  preachers  of  the  gospel,  but  all  were 
now  dead  except  Bro.  Town,  who  is  stationed  at 
Bethel,  Sullivan  county,  N.  Y. 

He  referred  to  Brothers  Hiebert  and  Arrison  as 
being  very  active  members  of  the  session,  and  as 
earnest  helpers  of  the  pastor. 

The  young  men  of  that  time  were  interested  in  two 
prayer  meetings,  one  held  in  the  "old  frame,"  as  it 
was  called, — a  barn   down   town,  out   of  which  effort 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  C/uwibers,  D.D.  G9 

grew  "The  Cedar  Street  Presbyterian  church."  The 
other  prayer  meeting  was  held  in  "  The  Girard 
School  House,"  out  of  which  grew  two  churches,  one 
Lutheran  and  one  Baptist. 

Brother  Baker  then  referred  to  his  own  ministry,  and 
said  he  joined  in  all  his  Brother  Levy  had  said  about 
the  encouragement  he  received  from  Dr.  Chambers. 
He  referred  to  his  wife  as  being  an  old  Sabbath  School 
scholar  who  still  had  much  affection  for  her  old  church 
and  pastor.  His  concluding  remarks  as  to  "the 
threads  of  one's  life  leading  no  one  knew  whither," 
were  forcible  and  appropriate. 

Rev.  F.  J.  Paxson,  of  the  Union  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  Fourth  street,  Philadelphia,  was  then 
introduced. 

He  said  he  had  been  spoken  of  as  a  Methodist 
preacher,  but  he  said  the  predominant  feeling  in  his 
mind  was  that  of  thankfulness  that  he  was  a  Christian. 
He  pointed  to  a  place  in  the  gallery  where  he  sat 
when  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  an  old  time 
orthodox  Quaker,  attracted  like  scores  of  others,  by 
the  eloquence  of  Dr.  Chambers.  Under  the  first 
sermon  an  arrow  of  conviction  went  to  his  heart  and 
he  found  no  rest  until  he  united  with  the  church.  He 
cherished  yet  the  warmest  love  for  his  old  and 
beloved  pastor. 


70  Scnii- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

Rev.  J.  C.  Bliss,  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Plauifield,  New  Jersey,  was  the  last  speaker.  He  re- 
ferred to  his  personal  relations  with  the  Pastor ;  then 
he  spoke  of  the  communion  seasons  of  the  old 
church  as  being  most  wonderful  and  precious  in  their 
character.  He  doubted  not  that  the  wonderful  suc- 
cess of  the  church  under  the  charge  of  his  beloved 
old  pastor  and  friend  could  be  attributed  to  two 
reasons:  i.  Simple  implicit  faith  in  the  gospel.  2. 
The  constant  unremitting  presentation  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  Him  crucified,  as  the  only  hope  of  a  ruined  world. 

At  this  meetinof  the  followincr  letters  were  read 
from  the  Rev.  R.  G.  S.  McNeille,  and  Rev.  S.  P. 
Kelley,  both  of  whom  had  been  in  their  boyhood 
identified  with  the  church  : 

Brockton,  Mass.,  May  isi,  iSy^. 
Dear  Pastor  : 

I  desire  to  present  my  hearty  congratulations  to 
you  upon  the  completion  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
your  pastorate. 

Your  singular  success  in  preaching  the  gospel  so 
efficiently  under  an  independent  organization  is  an 
admirable  proof  of  the  innate  vitality  of  Christ's  re- 
demption, when  earnestly  and  honestly  proclaimed, 
and  to-day  a  large  multitude,   not  only  of  the  church 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJiii  Chambers,  D.  D.         71 

on  earth,  but  of  the  church  triumphant,  look  back 
upon  you  as  their  spiritual  father,  and  to  your  church 
as  their  earliest  home.  Of  this  multitude  I  am  one, 
and  it  would  not  be  difficult  for  me  to  show  how 
intimately  your  ministrations  have  been  connected 
with  my  present  position  as  the  pastor  of  a  Congrega- 
tional church. 

I  should  be  present  with  you  in  person  on  Monday 
evening-  next,  but  the  Sabbath  preceding  is  our  com- 
munion Sabbath.  Twenty-three  persons  are  to  be 
received  into  the  church,  and  my  Sabbath  duties 
performed  ;  there  will  not  be  time  for  me  to  reach 
Philadelphia  for  the  Monday  evening  service. 

I  feel  in  my  heart  that  I  could  wish  you  might  come 
to  your  one  hundred  and  twentieth  year,  remaining 
in  the  ministry  as  Moses  did,  with  eye  undimmed  and 
natural  force  unabated ;  but  that  must  be  as  the 
Lord  wills,  to  whom  permit  me  prayerfully  to  com- 
mend you,  with  the  prayer  that  grace,  mercy  and 
peace,  in  abundant  measure,  may  be  your  abiding 
portion. 

Yours  truly  and  gratefully, 

R.  G.  S.  McNEILLE, 

Pastor  of  tJie  Porter  Evangelical  Church. 

To  Rf.V.  JoTTN   ClIAMr.KRS. 


72  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

STATE    OF    NEVADA.  ") 

Office  of  Superintende7it  of  Public  Instniction,  \ 
Carson,  May  ist,  iSy^.      ) 

Francis  Newland,  Esq.,  52  North  Ninth  Street,  Phila. 

My  Dear  Friend  : 

Yours   17th    ult.,   announcing  Jubilee    Meeting, 
reached  me  this  morning. 

I  sincerely  regret  that  distance  and  pressing  duties 
will  prevent  my  attendance  on  the  occasion.  I  beg 
to  present  my  regrets,  and  with  them  my  most  hearty 
congratulations  to  dear  old  Dr.  Chambers  on  what 
must  be  to  him  and  to  all  his  friends  a  joyful  time. 
May  he  long  be  spared  in  health,  strength  and  use- 
fulness, and  may  his  last  days  be  his  best  days. 

To  my  many  friends,  who  will  be  privileged  in 
gathering  around  him  at  his  half-century  anniversary, 
I  send  most  cordial  greetings. 

With  kindest  regards  to  yourself  and  family,  I 
remain. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

SAMUEL  P.  KELLY. 

It  is  a  noticeable  feature  of  Dr.  Chambers'  long 
pastorate  that  his  church  was  constantly  producing 
young  men  who  entered  the  ministry.  The  number 
who  thus  devoted  themselves  cannot  be  accurately 
ascertained.       We    present    a    list    in    the    appendix 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJui  CJiainbcrs,  D.  D.  73 

(page  99)  of  all  of  whom  we  could  at  present  be 
certain.  The  evidence  is  strong,  that  it  was  Dr. 
Chambers'  personal  interest  in  and  encouragement 
of  these  young  men  that  led  them,  under  the  guidance 
of  God's  spirit,  to  give  their  lives  to  the  ministry  of 
the  world. 


ON  TUESDAY  EVENING,  MAY  11,  1875, 
The  Sabbath  School  children  were  assembled  in 
the  body  of  the  Church,  and  they  participated  in  the 
Jubilee  services.  Mr.  R.  S.  Walton  and  Rev.  John 
C.  Bliss  addressed  them,  after  which  they  were 
taken  to  the  school  room  and  partook  of  refresh- 
ments. Each  scholar,  on  leaving  the  room,  was 
presented  wdth  a  box  of  fine  candies,  on  the  lid  of 
which  was  printed  the  following  label : 


182 

5-                                                                           1875- 

Cliamliers  Freslijteriaii  Cliiircli  Saliliatli  School. 

|(i<v.  lofin  \\\m^tx%,%.%. 

Ci? 

5^50  ^:E]J^I^s  OTJI^  :e> ^ s t 0 E-.^^rf^ 

CHILDREN'S  JUBILEE, 

May  wlh,  1875. 

74  Semi-  Centjunial  Anniversary  of  the 

ON   WEDNESDAY   EVENING,    MAY   12,  1875, 

It  had  been  determined  to  have  a  Social  Re-Union 
of  the  members  of  the  Church  and  congregation,  at 
Horticultural  Hall,  where  all  might  meet  Dr.  Chambers 
and  greet  him  with  a  loving  shake  of  the  hand,  and 
partake  together,  as  one  family,  of  a  plain  but 
bountiful  repast. 


SOCIkl  RE-UNION  AT  HORTICULTURAL  HALL 

May  12th,   1875. 

The  large  hall  was  brilliantly  lighted,  and  on  each 
side  were  four  rows  of  seats  the  entire  length  of  the 
room. 

In  the  centre,  upon  the  stage,  was  placed  the  chair 
for  the  venerable  pastor,  and  around  it  were  grouped 
odier  seats  for  those  who  were  to  sit  with  him  and 
take  part  in  the  exercises. 

The  piano  occupied  the  right  of  the  stage,  and  the- 
band  was    composed    of  five    instrumentalists.     The 
pieces  executed  during  the  evening  were  judiciously 
selected,  and  the  rendering  of  them  was  exquisitely 
fine  and  in  good  taste. 

A  litde  after  7  o'clock  the  members  of  the  Church 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.  75 

and  congregation    began    to  assemble,  and    as    they 
entered  the  hall  they  took  seats  on  either  side. 

About  8  o'clock,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers  arrived 
and  proceeded  to  the  upper  end  of  the  hall,  in  the 
centre,  immediately  in  front  of  the  stage.  An  ap- 
propriate piece  of  music  was  performed,  when  the 
audience,  marshalled  by  Professor  Fischer,  began  to 
promenade.  As  they  passed  the  point  where  their 
beloved  pastor  stood,  each  stopped  to  offer  congratu- 
lations and  have  a  friendly  and  loving"  shake  of  his 
hand.  The  greetings  were  prolonged,  heartfelt  and 
sincere — after  which  Dr.  Chambers  ascended  the 
stage  and  occupied  the  chair  assigned  to  him. 

The  exercises  commenced  with  sinmncr. 

Rev.  Dr.  Eva,  of  Bethesda  Presbyterian  Church, 
Philadelphia,  announced  the  time  honored  and  soul 
stirring  hymn  : 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus  name." 

Which  was  sung  heartily  by  the  entire  audience,  to 
tune  "  Coronation,"  Professor  Fischer  leadincr. 

After  singing,  the  following  prayer  was  offered  by 
Rev.  William  R.  SrocKTON,  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  at  Phoenixville,  Pennsylvania,  who  had 
been  one  of  the  voun-^  men  of  the  Church  : 


7G  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  oj  tJie 

Most  merciful  Father,  we  desire  to  approach  into 
Thy  divine  presence  at  this  time,  feeling  our  utter 
unworthiness  to  take  Thy  holy  nanie  into  our  sinful 
lips.  But  we  would  come,  in  the  name  and  through 
the  intercession  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ, 
and  ask  Thee,  for  His  sake,  to  hear  our  feeble  prayer. 
We  thank  Thee  that  we  can  come,  pleading  the  merits 
of  our  dear  Redeemer.  We  come  with  no  lamb  as  a 
sacrifice,  but  we  come  placing  our  confidence  in  the 
sacrifice  once  offered  for  us  and  all  men  by  Jesus, 
the  Lamb  of  God.  We  come  to  Thee,  seeking 
pardon  and  forgiveness.  We  come  as  sinners ;  and 
we  thank  Thee  that  we  have  the  assurance  that  Thou 
art  a  prayer-hearing  and  a  prayer-answering  God. 
Though  angels  are  engaged  in  Thy  worship  in 
Heaven,  yet  if  Thou  canst  only  hear  from  us  the 
feeble  prayer — God  be  merciful  unto  us,  for  we  are 
sinners — if  that  prayer  but  reach  thine  ear,  Thou 
wilt  turn  from  the  music  of  Heaven  to  listen  to  our 
feeble  prayers.  O  Lord,  how  high  Thou  art,  how 
holy  Thou  art,  and  we  come  then  as  sinners  asking 
Thee  for  mercy, — asking  Thee  to  have  mercy  upon  us  ; 
to  forcfive  our  sins,  and  to  blot  them  from  the  book  of 
Thy  remembrance.  Enable  us  to  exercise  such  a 
faith  in  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ,  that  we  may  feel 
our  offences  are  all  washed  away,  and  that  there  is 
not  one  sin  left  against  us  in  the  book  of  Thy  remem- 


Pasloratc  of  Rev.yoJin  CJianibcrs,  D.  D.  "il 

brance.  We  have  nothino-  to  brino-,  nothincr  to 
answer,  and  our  only  plea  is  "  For  us  the  Saviour 
died."  We  seek  the  assistance  of  Thy  Holy  Spirit. 
O  !  how  much  we  need  Thy  Holy  Spirit,  every  clay, 
every  hour,  every  moment.  Leave  us  not  to  our- 
selves. May  we  never  grieve  Thy  Holy  Spirit. 
May  we  remember  that  we  are  temples  for  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  dwell  in.  Grant  then  that  we  may  be 
entirely  under  the  guidance  and  direction  of  Thy  Holy 
Spirit ;  having  no  will  of  our  own,  but  gladly  yielding 
to  his  direction  in  everything. 

We  would  also  come  to  ask  Thy  blessing  on  him 
whom  we  have  met  to  honor  to-night.  We  thank 
Thee  that  Thou  hast  honored  him  to  be  the  means,  for 
half  a  century,  of  leading  this  Thy  people.  May 
none  of  tnem  come  short  of  eternal  life,  but  at  the 
great  day  of  judgment  may  he  be  able  to  say :  Here 
am  I,  Lord,  and  these  whom  Thou  hast  given  me. 
May  they  stand  with  him  by  the  Saviour's  side,  feeling 
that  through  the  Spirit's  influence  they  were  led  by  him 
to  Christ  and  Calvary  and  prepared  for  a  noble  exis- 
tence. We  would  ask  that  his  life  may  be  yet  spared — 
that  his  latter  days  may  be  his  most  successful  days — 
that  he  may  be  able  to  bring  many  souls  to  God  who 
shall  shine  as  stars  in  his  crown  of  rejoicing.  May  his 
latter  days  be  his  best  days  and  may  no  cloud  intervene 
to  hide  his  Saviour  from  his  attention.     May  his  hopes 


78  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

of  heaven  grow  brighter  and  brighter,  and  stronger 
and  stronger,  and  may  his  last  hours  be  his  best 
hours,  and  when  Thou  hast  done  with  him  here  on 
earth  do  Thou  o-yide  him  home  to  Heaven.  Bless  all 
that  are  in  the  Divine  presence.  Those  that  are  Thy 
children,  may  they  be  faithful  unto  death.  May  they 
remember  that  it  is  not  enough  to  serve  Thee  for 
thirty,  forty  or  fifty  years.  Grant  that  we  may  not  be 
weary  in  well  doing,  but  that  we  may  hold  out  faithful 
to  the  end.  There  may  be  those  present  whose 
names  are  not  recorded  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life 
— those  who  are  living  without  God,  and  without  hope 
in  the  world.  We  ask  that  they  may  be  led  to  the 
Saviour  and  to  Calvary  ;  that  ere  this  night  closes 
they  may  seek  forgiveness  and  leave  this  place  re- 
joicing in  the  favor  of  God.  Be  with  us  all  through 
the  journey  of  life.  May  we  still  follow  Thee  though 
it  may  be  with  faltering  steps ;  though  it  be  with 
trembling  hands,  and  may  it  be  our  happiness  to 
meet  around  Thy  throne  above.  We  ask,  not  that 
we  deserve,  but  for  the  sake  of  Him  who  taught  us 
when  we  pray,  to  say  : 

Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven.  Hallowed  be  thy 
name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  in 
earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread.  And  forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive 
those  that  trespass  against  us.     And  lead  us  not  into 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yoJin  Chambers,  D.  D.  79 

temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil.  For  thine  is 
the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  forever. 
Amen. 

Rev.   Dr.  Eva  then  rose  and  said  : 

I  did  not  expect,  dear  friends,  to  be  called  upon  to 
direct  the  exercises  in  the  upper  hall  to-night;  but 
in  the  absence  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Allen,  the  duty  has 
been  assigned  to  me. 

I  assume,  dear  friends,  and  everybody  understands, 
that  in  the  midst  of  these  memorial  services  you  have 
devoted  one  evening  to  these  social  exercises,  where 
you  can  all  be  perfectly  free  to  come  in  person  and 
congratulate  your  honored  pastor.  It  is  a  privilege 
to  be  here,  and  for  myself,  I  rejoice  if  I  have  been 
able  to  add  one  single  sprig  to  the  myrtle  which, 
during  the  exercises  of  this  week,  you  have  placed 
upon  his  brow. 

What  shall  be  done  unto  the  man  whom  God 
delighted  to  honor  ?  The  answer  is — Let  the  people 
of  God  honor  him.  And  this  you  have  been 
endeavoring  to  do,  and  in  doing  this  you  have 
honored  yourselves.  I  am  sure  you  esteem  it  a 
privilege  to  honor  him  ;  and  I  am  sure,  in  honoring- 
him  you  will  receive  the  blessings  of  that  God  who 
delighteth  to  honor  his  servants. 

If  you  will   indulge  me,   I  will   read  a  few  lines — 1 


80  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

will  not  call  it  poetry — appropriate  to  the  occasion  ; 
and  I  will  say  that,  after  I  have  read  these  lines,  a 
very  interesting  part  of  the  exercises  of  the  evening 
will  take  place. 

Hail  fifty  years  !  The  "  Jubilee  !" 
When  men  and  homes  redeemed  were  free, 
And  trumpets  blown  throughout  the  land 
Announced  that  God  was  near  at  hand  ! 

Those  days  are  past  no  more  to  come, 
The  glorious  Gospel,  yields  their  sum 
Of  blessings,  scattered  far  and  wide  ! 
A  thousand  measures  multiplied  ! 

But  when  of  life  prolonged  such  years. 
With  active  work  for  Christ  appears  ; 
When  serving  thus  a  single  flock, 
With  break  or  hindrance  none  to  mock. 

How  blest  the  lot  !  how  honored  he. 

Whose  portion  thus  it  is  to  be 

A  father  to  his  people  loving, 

The  Shepherd's  care  so  plainly  proving. 

How  great  their  privilege  as  well. 
No  human  tongue  can  fully  tell, 
For  fifty  years  thus  to  be  led, 
By  one  to  Christ  their  living  head  ! 

Of  saved  ones  rescued  from  their  sins; 
Of  tempted  from  the  snares  and  gins 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.  81 

Of  Satan  kept;  and  comfort  given, 
To  God's  dear  ones  by  sorrow  driven. 


How  large  the  company,  and  how  blest, 
Scores,  hundreds,  thousands  stand  confessed ; 
On  earth  a  part,  and  in  the  sky, 
A  greater  portion  crowned  on  high. 

O  servant  of  the  living  God  ! 

Through  all  these  years  thy  feet  have  trod  ; 

Thy  clarion  voice  has  rung  aloud. 

To  tell  of  Him  whose  head  was  bowed 

Beneath  the  weight  of  human  woe. 
When  wrestling  with  man's  fiendish  foe, 
He  died  upon  the  cross  to  save. 
From  sin  and  death  beyond  the  grave  ! 

How  law  has  thundered  from  thy  mouth. 
And  wrong  rebuked  in  age  or  youth  ; 
War,  drunkenness  and  what  beside, 
A  city  or  a  nation's  pride  ! 

And  still  for  work  thine  arm  is  strong, 
And  still  salvation  is  thy  song; 
Though  century  half  of  service  seen. 
Not  withered  yet  thy  leaf,  but  green. 

God  bless  thee,  man  beloved  and  tried, 
In  strength  may  still  thy  bow  abide, 
Not  useless  though  serene  and  glad, 
Thy  closing  years  of  life  be  had. 


82  Se7ni-Centen7iial  Annivei'sary  of  the 

And  when  they  end  the  victor's  crown 
Of  glory  won,  shall  be  thine  own, 
With  stars  bedecked  full  many  a  gem 
A  radiant  heavenly  diadem  ! 

And  all  the  praise  to  Him  shall  be, 
Whose  grace  has  brought  this  "Jubilee," 
Not  fifty  years,  or  millions '  score. 
But  age  on  age  forevermore  ! 

Rev.  Dr.  Eva  then  said  : 

I  now  call  upon  Mr.  Francis  Newland,  to  intro- 
duce the  next  portion  of  the  exercises. 

Mr.  Newland  then  rose  and  said  : 

There  has  been  confided  to  me,  sir,  this  evening-, 
the  honor  of  discharging  a  very  pleasant  duty. 

During  the  long  fifty  years  that  have  passed  into 
eternity  with  all  their  record  of  bliss  and  woe — the 
desolations  of  sin,  and  the  triumphs  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  you,  sir,  our  aged  and  venerated  pastor,  have 
been  our  tried  friend  and  counsellor.  In  the  winter's 
frost  and  snow,  the  spring's  vernal  beauty  and 
fragrance,  the  summer's  heat,  and  the  autumn's  fruit- 
fulness,  you  have  been  ever  at  your  post,  you  have 
baptized  our  children,  united  in  the  bonds  of  matri- 
mony our  sons  and  daughters,  buried  our  dead, 
spoken  in  the  ear  of  the  dying  the  comforting  words 
and  cheering  hopes   of  eternal   life,  and  proclaimed, 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJiu  Chambers,  D.  D.  S3 

with  trumpet  voice,  from  your  pulpit  and  elsewhere, 
the  glorious  doctrine  of  the  gospel — salvation  through 
the  blood  of  Christ  for  every  penitent  sinner.  So 
now,  in  the  hour  of  our  joy  and  festivities,  our  gushing 
hearts  have  sought  some  form  of  expression  of  the 
feelings  that  burn  within.  Our  love  and  devotion  is 
already  yours,  and  we  are  prepared  to-night  to  pledge 
it  anew  and  in  an  increased  degree. 

What  then  remains  for  us  but  some  substantial 
token  of  our  regard  ?  and  that,  it  has  been  determined, 
shall  be  a  golden  one,  in  the  amount  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  which  I  have  the  honor  now  to  present  to  you 
in  the  name  of  our  beloved  Church  and  congregation. 
You  will  not  suppose,  my  dear  pastor,  that  we 
regard  this  amount  as  in  any  degree  a  measure  of 
the  value  of  services  and  love  bestowed — Oh,  no  ! 
such  services  and  such  love  are  beyond  measure  and 
beyond  price  ;  but  we  beg  you  to  receive  the  gift  as 
the  blessed  Saviour  received  the  contents  of  the 
alabaster  box  of  precious  ointment  poured  upon  him 
by  a  devoted  woman,  when  he  said,  "  She  hath  done 
what  she  could." 

And  now,  with  this,  be  pleased  to  receive  our  heart- 
felt congratulation  and  most  fervent  prayers  and 
wishes,  that  you  may  long  be  continued  to  us  as  the 
same  faithful  pastor  you  have  ever  been,  with  re- 
newed vigor  and  natural  force  unabated,  antl  when  at 


84  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

last  your  work  Is  finished,  may  you  hear  the  Master's 
voice  saying  to  you,  "  Come  up  higher," 

Dr.  Chambers  repHed  as  follows  : — My  beloved 
friends  and  brethren,  you  have  taken  me  entirely  by 
surprise.  I  had  made  no  calculations  of  a  pecuniary 
character  whatever.  I  welcome  this  expression  of 
your  regard ;  so  warm,  earnest  and  tangible,  from  this 
blessed  family  of  the  Son  of  God. 

I  rejoice  in  the  privilege  of  bearing  testimony  to- 
night— as  a  response  after  your  favor — for  fifty  years 
I  testify  cheerfully,  I  have  had  your  confidence,  your 
respect  and  your  faithful  assistance.  I  presume  that 
no  living  minister  of  God  in  this  land,  to-daj',  can 
more  fully  testify  than  I  do,  to  the  assistance  of  the 
family  of  Christ. 

You  have  been  with  me  in  all  the  trials  of  life.  I 
have  had  your  assistance  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the 
left,  and  I  have  appreciated  it  all.  You  have  been 
with  me  co-workers  with  God,  I  testify  that  I  have 
been  seconded  and  surrounded,  not  only  by  venerable 
hands,  but  I  have  had  the  assistance  of  a  noble  band 
of  young  men,  strong  and  mighty  in  their  efforts  ;  and 
they  have  never  deserted  me.  Men  and  women,  old 
and  young,  have  given  me  this  assistance  continually  ; 
so  that  I  have  no  more  credit  for  this  than  that  I  have 
been  the  leader  of   noble   men  and  women.     Your 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  Jo  Jin  Chainbci's,  D.  D.         85 

prayers  and  assistance  have  been  constant  and  con- 
tinued. YoLino-  men  have  surrounded  me  in  ofreat 
power  and  influence,  and  young  women  have  given 
me  their  help  in  this  work.  A  noble  band  of  young 
women  have  always  been  in  this  church.  Not  what 
are  called  "  strong-minded  women  ;"  I  have  nothing  to 
do  with  them  ;  but  woman  in  the  place  in  which  God 
set  her,  and  so  longr  as  she  is  there,  I  must  look  at 
her  as  my  fellow  laborer.  God  honors  a  community 
where  women  live  right  on  in  the  path  which  He  de- 
signed they  should  adorn,  and  so  long  as  woman  does 
this  she  is  an  honor  to  the  community,  an  honor  to 
the  country,  and  a  blessing  to  the  world. 

Beloved  friends  and  brethren,  I  return  to  you  my 
warm  and  hearty  thanks  for  this  expression  of  your 
esteem  and  affection.  I  don't  think  it  will  make  me 
preach  any  better,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  not  make  me 
love  you  any  more  ;  nor  will  it  add  increase  to  our 
grace.  But  I  shall  lay  it  away  quietly,  where  it  will 
be  a  little  income  to  me.  A  noble  young  man  of  this 
congregation,  on  leaving  the  city  yesterday  for  a  tour 
over  the  European  continent  with  his  wife  and  child- 
ren— I  allude  to  John  Wanamaker — sent  me  a  letter 
expressing  the  joy  and  pleasure  of  his  heart,  and 
when  I  opened  that  letter  there  opened  out  before 
me  a  five  hundred  dollar  United  States  bill.  I  felt 
gratified  and  pleased,  and  I  put  it  away.     I   see  my 


80  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

brother  in  law  Pettit  in  the  house  to-night,  and  hkely 
I  may  give  it  to  him  to  invest  for  me  in  bonds  or 
stocks  or  somethinof  of  the  sort. 

However,  I  will  not  squander  it,  and  if  the  day 
should  ever  come  when  I  shall  need  it,  it  will  be  used 
then  for  that  purpose ;  but  while  I  live  I  am  as  confi- 
dent that  my  bread  will  be  given  me  and  my  water 
will  be  sure,  as  I  am  confident  that  God  lives. 

Now,  my  brethren  and  friends,  just  feel  that  you 
have  all  been  shaken  by  the  hand — by  this  hand — by 
both  my  hands.  I  rejoice  in  this  meeting  to-night, 
and  I  thank  you  all  from  my  inmost  heart,  that  you 
have  manifested  so  much  affection  and  esteem  for  me. 
What  radiance  it  throws  around  this  old  man's  even- 
ing of  life.  Everything  is  beautiful  and  all  this  should 
spur  me  on  to  my  duty  and  to  greater  diligence.  Let 
me  in  these  last  days  present  Jesus  Christ :  The  Life, 
The  Truth,  The  Way;  and  the  only  way  by  which 
men  can  be  saved.  May  the  blessing  of  God  be  upon 
you  all — old  and  young,  parents  and  children,  hus- 
bands and  wives  ;  and  may  we  meet  on  the  old  battle- 
ments of  Heaven  to  shout,  Hallelujah  !  for  the  Lord 
G'jd  Almighty  reigneth ! 

After  these  remarks  the  audience,  numberine  over 
one  thousand,  adjourned  to  the  lower  hall,  where 
under  the  supervision  of  a  very  efficient  committee, 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.D.  87 

they  were  all  comfortably  accommodated  and  partook 
of  an  elegant  entertainment,  each  lady  receiving  a 
handsome  memorial  bouquet.  A  table  was  erected 
on  a  platform  running  the  width  of  the  hall ;  the  other 
tables  ran  the  length  of  the  hall  at  right  angles  to  the 
front  one.  At  the  table  on  the  platform  Dr.  Cham- 
bers and  the  church  session  were  seated,  accompanied 
by  Rev.  Drs.  Eva,  Beadle  and  Breed,  and  Rev. 
Messrs.  Torrence,  Luther  and  Garrett. 

The  congregation  dispersed  about  lo  o'clock,  all 
beine  eratified  with  the  exercises  and  delighted  at  the 
opportunity  of  expressing  their  love  for  their  dear 
old  pastor. 


THURSDAY  EVENING,  MAY  13,  1875, 

Was  devoted  to  addresses  of  a  congratulatory 
character  by  the  pastors  of  the  neighboring  churches. 
The  exercises  were  held  in  the  church,  and  were  pre- 
sided over  by  Rev.  Dr.  George  Dana  Boardman,  of 
the  First  Baptist  church.  Broad  and  Arch  streets. 

Addresses  were  also  made  by 

Rev.  Dr.  Breed,  of  the  West  Spruce  St.  Presby- 
terian church. 


88  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

Rev.  Dr.  Newton,  of  Epiphany  P.  E.  church. 
Rev.  Dr.  Hatfield,  of  the  Arch  St.  M.  E.  church. 
Rev.  Wm.  R.  Stockton,  of  Phoenixville,  Pa. 

All  of  the  addresses  were  highly  interesting  and 
were  marked  by  a  spirit  of  Christian  love  and  fellow- 
ship. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Breed,  in  the  course  of  his  address, 
read  the  following  original  lines  : 

A  stranger  boy  from  Erin  came — 
He  made  our  land  his  chosen  home. 
He  heard  the  Master's  gracious  call, 
He  seized  the  banner,  climbed  the  wall, 
He  blew  the  trumpet,  drew  the  sword. 
He  fired  the  shot,  he  preached  the  word. 
By  grace  divine,  thro'  toils  and  tears, 
With  ardent  hopes,  defying  fears. 
In  holy  scorn  of  scoffs  and  jeers 
He's  held  the  fort  for  fifty  years  ! 
And  if  the  God  whom  we  adore, 
But  grant  what  thousand  hearts  implore. 
He'll  hold  it  yet  for  many  more  ! 
Amen  and  amen  ! 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chanibers,  D.  D.  89 

ON  FRIDAY  EVENING,  MAY  14,  1875, 

A  very  large  congregation  assembled  on  the  oc- 
casion of  the  Friday  Evening  Prayer  Meeting  which 
was  held  in  the  body  of  the  church. 

The  devotional  exercises  were  as  usual.  Rev.  Dr. 
Plummer,  of  Columbia,  S.  C,  and  Rev.  Charles 
Brown,  of  Philadelphia,  were  present  and  made 
addresses. 

Thus  the  Jubilee  closed  in  prayer  and  praise,  and 
may  God  add  his  blessing  that  the  relation  of  pastor 
and  people  in  the  one  church  may  continue  many 
more  years. 


In  the  appendix  we  present  some  interesting  letters, 
and  matters  of  information  having  a  bearing  on  the 
Jubilee. 

We  also  desire  to  say  that  the  sermon  of  Dr. 
Chambers  on  the  Jubilee  Sabbath  morning,  is  printed 
in  this  book  from  a  very  accurate  phonographic 
report  taken  for  the  committee. 


APPENDIX. 


Monday  Evening,  May  loth,  iSy^. 

Rev.  Dr.  Chambers. 

My  Dear  Dro.: 
For  the  last  three  or  four  days  my  thoughts  have 
been  much  occupied  with  things  pertaining  to  the 
Chambers  Presbyterian  church  and  its  highly  esteemed 
pastor.  It  was  my  design,  personally,  to  congratulate 
you  this  morning,  but  lost  the  opportunity,  as  you 
withdrew  from  the  association  before  the  hour  of 
adjournment.  As  I  listened  to  the  remarks  of  Rev. 
Messrs.  Eva  and  Davidson,  on  the  scenes  of  yester- 
day, as  they  occurred  in  your  church,  my  heart  re- 
sponded to  every  sentiment  of  love  and  honor  which 
they  expressed  in  reference  to  yourself,  and  I  silently 
thanked  God  for  sparing  your  long  and  useful  life,  and 
for  his  abundant  blessing  on  your  faithful   labors  dur- 


92  Semi- Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

ing-  the  last  fifty  years.  The  tender  ties  which  bound 
me  to  you  more  than  48  years  ago  have  never  been 
broken,  but  on  the  contrary  they  have  been  strength- 
ened by  my  sympathy  with  you  in  all  pastoral  labors 
and  trials.  My  ministerial  life  has  now  reached  to 
42  years. 

At  this  hour  of  the  evening  your  church  is  doubt- 
less filled  with  hearers  to  listen  to  several  clergymen 
whose  early  Christian  life  was  spent  in  part  under 
your  ministry,  and  who  will  bear  their  testimony  to 
your  fidelity  in  leading  them  in  the  paths  of  righteous- 
ness, and  which  induced  them  finally  to  become 
ministers  themselves.  Were  I  present  and  had  the 
opportunity,  I  would  also  furnish  similar  testimony. 
Amid  these  public  demonstrations  in  your  behalf,  and 
to  give  variety  to  the  images  now  passing  before  your 
mind,  these  lines  may  not  be  unacceptable,  as  coming 
from  one  whose  love  for  you  is  co-existent  with  nearly 
the  whole  period  of  your  ministry  in  this  city.  I  love 
to  speak  of  the  long,  long  past !  I  joined  your  church 
in  the  fall  of  1826  and  took  my  seat  at  the  Lord's 
table  for  the  first  time  on  October  ist  of  that  year. 
You  administered  the  bread  and  wine.  Your  form 
and  face  are  in  my  imagination  even  now,  as  you 
stood  before  us  in  the  vigor  of  your  early  manhood^ 
and  with  much  earnest  eloquence,  presented  the 
Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God. 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  Jo  Jut  C/iarnbers,  D.  D.         93 

The  first  divinity  student  who  belong-ed  to  your 
congregation  was  Thos.  Irvine.  He  died,  I  think, 
about  1827  or  1828.  I  helped  to  carry  his  body  to 
the  grave,  and  to  pay  the  expenses  of  his  funeral. 
The  next  student  in  the  order  of  time  was  myself. 
I  presume  I  was  the  first  to  follow  Mr,  Irvine  in  study, 
and  am  the  oldest  minister  of  all  the  ministers  for- 
merly belonging  to  your  church.  I  was  ordained  June 
2)0,  1833.  Perhaps  I  am  the  only  living  minister  who 
worshiped  with  you  in  the  old  church  which  stood  on 
Thirteenth  street,  above  Market.  I  often  recall  the 
numerous  prayer  meetings  held  in  those  days  in 
various  humble  dwellings  scattered  over  the  partially 
occupied  lots  west  of  Broad  street.  I  think  also  of 
the  young  men  who  led  the  devotions  in  those  meet- 
ings. The  names  of  Arrison,  Alden,  Mclntire,  Martin 
and  John  Summers,  Wm.  Mite  Appleton,  Grimmons, 
Bingham  and  others,  must  be  familiar  to  us  both. 
But  we  had  also  good  old  "  Father  Ferguson  "  whom 
we  regarded  as  a  "Captain"  to  lead  us  in  our  prayer 
meetings.  His  favorite  hymn  was  "How  happy  are 
they  who  the  Saviour  obey,"  etc. 

Praying  that  God  will  continue  to  bestow  upon  you 
his  richest  blessings,  I  remain, 

Sincerely  yours, 

CHAS.    BROWN, 

rjiiladelphia. 


94  Scnii-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  tJie 

2026  Spruce  Street,  Philadelphia,  I 
May  IS,  1875.        I 

Rev.  and  Dear  Brother  : 

I  very  much  regret  that  I  cannot  be  with  you  this 
evening,  according  to  my  agreement  with  Mr.  Lawyer, 
but  a  wedding,  at  8  P.  M.,  at  which  I  am  to  officiate 
will  prevent  me.  I  cannot  refrain  from  tendering 
you  my  sincere  congratulations  upon  this  "Jubilee  " 
occasion. 

Your  fifty  years  of  labour  have  been  wonderfully 
blessed  by  the  Master  whom  you  have  so  faithfully 
served,  and  there  are  few  in  the  Christian  ministry 
who,  on  the  great  day  of  account,  will  be  able  to  pre- 
sent a  greater  number  of  souls  as  the  seals  of  their 
stewardship. 

May  God's  richest  blessings  rest  upon  you,  and 
make  your  remaining  years  the  best  and  happiest  of 
your  eventful  life. 

Your  affectionate  friend  and  brother  in  the  Ministry 
of  our  Lord, 

CHARLES  D.  COOPER. 

Rev.  Dr.  Chambers,  Philadelphia. 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Cha7nbers,  D.  D.         95 
PJiiladelphia,  May  8th,  iSjS. 
Rev.  Dr.  J(3HN  Chambers, 

Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  : 

As  a  happy  incident  connected  with  your  Fiftieth 
Anniversary  as  a  pastor,  I  was  one  who  witnessed 
and  heard  you  preach  your  trial  sermon — in  Mikon, 
Pa. — fifty  years  ago.  Truly  God  has  blessed  us  both 
in  permitting  us  to  live  so  long,  and  enjoy  his  great 
mercies.  I  presume  there  are  very  few  now  living 
who  heard  you  upon  that  occasion. 

May  God  bless  you  still  and  reward  you  in  heaven, 
is  the  earnest  wish  of 

Your  friend, 

THOS.  C.  POLLOCK, 

1026   Green  Street. 


The  follo'cL'ijiQ-  letter  zoas  addj^essed  to  the  numbers  of 
Lodge  5/  of  the  Ala  sonic  order,  and  also  to  the  Officers 
of  the  Grand  Lodge,  and  in  response  to  Zi'hich  they  at- 
tended the  fnbilee  Services  of  Jllay  gth. 

Philadelphia,  May  i,  iSy^. 
Dear  Sir  and  Brother: 

At  the   stated  meeting  of  Lodge  No.   51,  held  on 
the  2 2d  ultimo,  it  was  announced  that  on  Sunday,  the 


90  Semi- Ccntc7inial  Anniversary  of  the 

9th  of  May,  1875,  ^t  the  Church  at  the  corner  of 
Broad  and  Sansom  Streets,  our  beloved  Chaplain, 
Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.,  would  celebrate  the 
semi-centennial  anniversary  of  his  pastorate  over  the 
congregation  worshiping  in  that  place ;  and  it  was 
resolved  that,  as  a  testimonial  of  the  respect  and 
esteem  in  which  we  hold  our  venerable  brother,  we 
would,  as  a  body,  attend  the  morning  service  in  his 
Church  upon  that  day. 

You  are  therefore  fraternally  and  earnestly  re- 
quested to  meet  with  the  membership  of  the  Lodge 
at  9.45  A.  M.,  on  the  9th  inst.,  at  the  Masonic 
Temple,  attired  in  a  suit  of  black,  a  black  silk  hat  and 
white  kid  gloves,  that  we  radiy  proceed  as  provided 
for  in  the  resolution.  Seats  will  be  set  apart  for  us 
in  the  Church,  and  as  it  is  important  that  we  advise 
the  Trustee  by  Thursday  next,  of  the  number  we 
shall  require,  you  will  indicate  your  purpose  in  the 
premises  upon  the  card  enclosed,  and  send  it  to  the 
undersigned  on  or  before  Wednesday,  the  5th  inst. 

This  action  of  the  Lodge  is  altogether  unknown  to 
Bro.  Chambers,  and  it  is  enjoined  that  no  intimation 
of  it  shall  be  given  to  him  until  he  sees  us  in  our 
places  in  his  Church. 

By  Order  of  the  W.  M. 

WILLL^M  L.  MARSHALL, 

Seereiaj-y. 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  JoJui  Chambers,  D.  D.         97 

Wednesday. 

WiM.  L.  Marshall,  Esq.,  Secretary  Lodge  No.  5/. 

My  Dear  Sir  and  Bro.: 

Thanks  for  your  kind  and  fraternal  invitation  to 
unite  with  the  brethren  of  Lodge  51  in  attendance 
upon  the  services  of  the  half  century  celebration  of 
the  pastorate  of  revered  and  esteemed  G.  Chaplain, 
Bro.  John  Chambers,  on  Sunday  next.  Nothing  but 
a  very  special  emergency  could  induce  me  to  be 
absent  from  my  accustomed  place  of  worship,  and 
this  I  consider  an  occasion  which  for  very  many  rea- 
sons entirely  justifies  me  in  varying  from  my  usual 
practice,  and  I  will  with  pleasure  accept  the  invita- 
tion. Bro.  Chambers  and  the  Lodge  I  am  sure  will 
need  no  words  from  me  as  an  expression  of  my 
appreciation  of  the  emergency.  My  presence  both 
will  fully  understand.     Thanks  for  your  kind  note. 

Very  truly  and  faithfully  yours, 

SAMUEL  C  PERKINS, 

P.   G.  M. 

7 


9S  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

Office  of  the 
Grand  Treasurer,  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
Masonic  Temple,  Broad  and  Filbert  Streets, 

Philadelphia,  May  5,  iSy^. 

My  Dear  Bro.  Marshall: 

Your  esteemed  and  kind  favor  is  received,  inviting 
me  to  participate  with  the  brethren  of  Lodge  No.  51 
in  paying  a  tribute  of  respect  justly  due  to  our  venera- 
ble brother  and  friend.  Dr.  Chambers.  Availing  my- 
self of  this  great  privilege  I  will  be  present  at  the 
appointed  time  and  place. 

Yours  truly  and  fraternally, 

THOMAS  R.  PATTON. 


My  Dear  Doctor  Chambers  : 

I  deeply  regret  that  absence  from  home  prevented 
me  from  being  present  at  the  "Jubilee  Festival," 'and 
adding  my  heartfelt  congratulations  to  those  of  your 
many  friends  and  admirers  on  the  occasion  of  the 
Semi-Centennial  Anniversary  of  your  pastorate.  The 
reunions,  extending  over  a  period  of  six  days,  must 
have  been  full  of  rational  enjoyment  and  of  profound 
happiness  to  all  concerned. 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers,  D.  D.         99 

Hoping"  that  your  useful  life  may  be  long  spared 
to  your  family,  your  friends,  and  the  church,  I  am, 
my  dear  friend,  with  kindest  regard  to  Mrs.  Chambers, 
cordially  shared  by  Mrs.  Gross, 

Respectfully  yours, 

S.  D.  GROSS. 
S.  E.  Cor.  Eleventh  and  Walnut,  May  ijth,  iSy^. 

Rev.  Dr.  Chambers. 


100  Scini-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 

NAMES  OF  MEMBERS  OF  CHURCH  WHO 
HAVE  ENTERED  THE  MINISTRY  AS  FAR 
AS   KNOWN. 

Charles  Brown,  Presbyteriaji. 

John  Summers,  do. 

John  Baker,  Baptist. 

John  Hunterson,  Methodist  Episcopal. 

Edgar  M.  Levy,  Baptist. 

John  C.  BHss,  Presbyterian. 

Thomas  J.  Brown,  do. 

Edward  Town,         do. 

Samuel  P.  Kelly,  Episcopalian. 
Mr.  Burnap,  do. 

William  Griffith,  German  Reformed. 
William  M.  Paxson,  M.  E.  Clmrch. 
R.  Maurice  Luther,  Baptist. 
Charles  Riley,  Presbyterian. 
William  Stockton,  Episcopalian. 
Robert  G.  S.  McNeille,  ConorcQ-ational. 


Pastorate  of  Rev.  yohn  Chambers,  D.  D.       101 

NAMES  OF  ELDERS. 

Brothers  Ross  and  Hogg,  who  came  from  the  13th 
Street  Church;  the  latter  shortly  after  resigned. 
Both  now  deceased. 

Matthew  Arrison,  deceased. 

Thomas  Hibbert,        do. 

Robert  Buist,  at  present  connected  with  the  Episco- 
pal Church. 

Jacob  P.  Broom,  deceased. 

Richard  Smallbrook,  deceased. 

Robert  Luther,  do. 

Aaron  H.  Burtis,  do. 

John  Yard,  do. 

Francis  Newland,  now  serving. 

Daniel  Steinmetz,  resigned,  Elder  Dr.  Dana's  Church, 
West  Philadelphia. 

Joseph  B.  Sheppard,  resigned. 

R.  S.  Walton,  Oxford  Presbyterian  Church. 

Alexander  Brown,  deceased. 

Thomas  P.  Dill,  now  serving. 

Edward  S.  Lawyer,  do. 

John  C.  Hunter,  do. 

Fred.  J.  Buck,  M.  D.,       do. 

Robert  H.  Hinckley,  Jr.,  do. 


102  Semi-  Centennial  Anniversary  of  tJie 

\_Froni  the  '^Evening  Btillciiii"  of  May  15M.] 

A  SEMI-CENTENNIAL. 

Rev.    yoJin    Chambers     Pastorate — Exercises    at    his 
CJinrch  during  this  week. 

On  Wednesday  evening  last  "  The  Chambers  Pres- 
byterian Church "  had  a  social  reunion  in  Horticul- 
tural Hall.  The  "Jubilee  Week,"  in  commemoration 
of  the  50  years  pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Chambers, 
D.  D.,  over  one  congregation,  commenced  on  Sabbath 
morning  last,  and  the  meeting  on  Wednesday  evening 
was  one  of  a  series  of  meetings  held  durino-  the  week 
just  past.  Over  one  thousand  persons  were  present. 
All  the  members  and  pew  holders  and  their  families 
were  admitted,  together  with  a  few  invited  guests, 
principally  the  personal  friends  of  Dr.  Chambers. 

The  first  hour  was  spent  in  introductions,  prome- 
nading, and  in  greetings  and  congratulations  to  the 
venerable  Pastor,  and  the  hour  passed  rapidly  and 
joyously.  Some  of  the  oldest  members  of  the 
church  were  there,  and  it  was  a  pleasant  sight  to 
see  old  and  young  greet  the  man  of  God  who  so 
faithfully  had  guided  their  spiritual  growth. 

At  85^  o'clock,  the  assembly  was  called  to  order  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Eva,  and  the  whole  assemblage  united  in 
singing    the    hymn,  "  All   Hail  the  Power  of    Jesus' 


Pasloratc  of  Rev.  John  CJuwibcrs,  D.  D.       103 

Name."  Rev.  Wm.  Stockton,  of  Phoenixville,  one  of 
the  early  Sabbath-school  boys  of  the  church,  then 
offered  an  impressive  prayer. 

Dr.  Eva  then  made  a  brief  address  and  read  some 
lines  which  were  beautiful  and  appropriate.  Mr. 
Francis  Newland,  senior  member  of  the  session,  then 
in  a  neat  speech  presented  Rev.  Dr.  Chambers  with 
a  purse  containing  ^i,ooo  in  g-old,  as  an  offering  of 
love  from  the  congregation  ;  not  that  the  love  could 
be  determined  in  dollars,  but  as  a  slight  expression 
of  the  feeling  of  the  people  to  their  beloved  and  re- 
spected minister.  The  meeting  then  adjourned  to 
the  lower  hall,  and  under  the  supervision  of  a  very 
efTficient  committee  the  whole  company  partook  of 
refreshments. 

Dr.  Chambers  and  the  church  session,  with  some 
invited  guests,  occupied  seats  at  a  table  on  the  plat- 
form, raised  a  little  from  the  floor.  The  other  tables 
were  ranged  the  length  of  the  room,  and  all  the  com- 
pany were  easily  accommodated  and  abundandy  fed. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Chambers  and  all  the  guests  enjoyed 
the  occasion,  and  every  one  departed  feeling  that  the 
evening  had  been  well  spent  doing  honor  to  an 
honest,  fearless,  devoted  minister  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ. 


Princeton  Theoloqical ,  Sem;"3'7,,,J7i^,';,^rl,^^ 


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2  01217   5206 


DATE  DUE 

f  ^Mt'^-'S^ 

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CAYLORO 

PMINTCOINU.S.A. 

